Times Group by Colleague

Puzzle explanation

The initial groups are the three Rs: reading (deraign), writing and arithmetic; and the five Ks: kaccha, kangha, kara (arak), kesh and kirpan (parkin). (These are shown in italics in the table below.) Their product suggests Fifteen Os, a set of meditations by St Bridget, and determines the total count of 15 Os in the grid. The thematic data can be found in The Chambers Dictionary, at the entries for R, K and O.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
1 ARITHMETIC A + HERMIT * + TIC
8 ARAK
KARA
(k)ARAK(a)
11 DONATARY ON in DATARY
12 SCAPA APACS <
14 WRITING WRITHING − H
16 PARKIN
KIRPAN
ARK in PIN(e)
17 DADOING DA + DOING
18 REIS GREENIES − GENE (regularly)
19 ATTACH ATT + A + C + H(ezbolla’s)
20 DRAPPIE I in DAPPER, R moved inside
22 THECLA Hidden
24 BODLEIAN AI < in BLONDE *; reference library in Oxford
28 PEERIE PIER * about (Octob)E(r) + (hurrican)E
30 SOLDADO (Napoleon) SOLO about DAD; reference The Man from Uncle
32 DAMNED DEMAND *
33 FLIT Hidden reversed
34 NEONATE ETA < after NEON
36 KACCHA (AH + C + CAK(e)) <
37 DERAIGN
READING
I in DANGER *
38 ANCHO Hidden
39 TESTIEST SET * in TIE + ST
40 SHOO Homophone (SHOE); reference Oxford as type of shoe
41 REARHORSES ARE * + RSE in RHOS
Down
1 ADWARDS D in WARS after AD
2 INITIATE ATE after (IN IT + I(nauguration))
3 TATTS TATS about T
4 MANX MAN + X; reference Isle of Man
5 ERGATE Answer in HOST * is OTHERGATES
6 TYNDALE TALE about YND; early Bible translator
7 IMPACT I + MP + A + CT
8 ACROGEN ORA < about C(alyx) + GEN
9 RAKIA ARAK * [8ac] about I
10 KANGHA KANGA about H(ead)
13 PINGLED P + INGLE + ’D; using Scott’s ingle
15 IGAPÓ GAP in I(glo)O
21 ROEDEAN ROLE − L + DEAN; reference well-known girls’ school
23 CHALLIES CHA(p) + LISLE *
24 BRONCHO (trut)H out of (BR + HONCHO)
25 LOMENTA L + O + MEN + TA
26 ALDER YEN < out of ALDERNEY
27 POTENTS TENT in POS
28 PUNKAS AS after PUNK
29 EATAGE (EG + AT + A + (bing)E) <; Morgan is type of horse
30 SNIDER SIDER about N(ation)
31 ZOCCO CC in ZOO
33 FLAIR FRAIL, L and R swapped
35 KESH K + NESH − N; reference shock = hair
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