A Conversation by KevGar

Puzzle explanation

For each clash between across and down answers, one of the two letters was chosen so that grid entries became proposed topics of conversation from the poem The Walrus and the Carpenter in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass: SHOES, SHIPS, SEALING-WAX, CABBAGES and KINGS.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
1 OVERLOOKS (LOVE + ROOKS) with the first letter moved to the middle
8 MIFF MI + FF
12 TAURUS TAU + SUR(e) <
13 IMECHE (pr)IME CHE(rnobyl)
14 ESKIMO SKI in EMO
15 SNOKE NOSE * around (chee)K
16 ISSUANT IS + U in SANT
18 DEL LED <
19 HERBAGED HEBR(ides) * + AGED
22 TARSI TAR + S(keleton) + I
23 OLIVIERS I in OLIVER + S
25 OMEN EN after (O + M)
28 TERM TERMAGANT − (A + GANT)
29 MORO MOO around R
30 OYES 2 meanings
31 MACKINAW MACAW around KIN
32 SLIPS SLIPES − E
34 ATHEROMA ATHE(ns) + ROMA
35 CAN CAN(can)
38 CHOENIX ECHO * + NIX
41 APISH A + PISH
42 ACHENE ACHE + NE
44 PAVISE IS in PAVE
45 CHASER CHA + SER
46 ÉPÉE PE in ((gard)E(ning) (sch)E(mes))
47 SERPENTRY SERRY around PENT
Down
1 OWE (narr)OW E(xtremes)
2 VASSALRY LASS < in VARY
3 ELKS WHELKS − W − H
4 LIMA (ANIMAL − AN) *
5 OYSTER-CATCHER (STORY TEACHER) * around (exoti)C
6 RINGS RIGS around N(ematode)
7 SMOG (ha)M in SOG
9 ICED CE in ID
10 SLOES homophone of SLOWS
11 STALINGRAD STAIN around L + GRAD(e)
16 ICONOSCOPE IC + ON + O + SCOPE
17 MAORI ROAM < + I
20 BITE BIT + E(xtra)
21 GIRTS GIRLS with T(ablets) for L(aptops)
22 TROKE T + ROKE
24 VESTA SEAT * after V
26 MONO MON + O
27 EXAMINEE AMINE in EXE
33 HANAP HAN + AP
34 AT SEA SET * in AA
36 NAVE KNAVE − K(erb)
37 DISC “D IS C” converts DAN to CAN (35ac)
39 OCHE OCA with HE for A
40 NEST NÉ + ST
43 ERR (D)E(i)R(d)R(e)
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