Difficulty by Chalicea

Puzzle explanation

The unclued entries referred to Edward Lear’s The Owl and the Pussy-Cat, in which the lovers wanting to get married initially lacked a ring. Reflecting that, all occurrences of the letter O were omitted from the perimeter quotation:

O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?

and the rest of the grid, preamble and clues contained no Os.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
1 DYNAMITE homophone of (DINE + A + MIGHT)
2 TYMPAN NAP < after ((fas)T (livel)Y (rhyth)M)
3 LATE LATTE − T
4 GERENUK GNU around ERE + K(alahari)
5 WAKEN WAKE + N
6 HIYA ((th)I(rt)Y (ye)A(rs)) after H
7 ALLEMANDE ALE around (LEMAN + D)
8 EMAIL E + MAIL
9 IYYAR RAY < after (I + Y)
10 EASILY QUEASILY − QU
13 RAPESEED APES in REED
14 AESIR ARISE *
16 CLEAR C(aptivated) + LEAR
17 TUMULI TUMUL(t) + I
18 USURP U + SURPRISE − RISE
19 MINI MINI(m)
20 LUPUS (b)LU(e) + PUS
22 ANTE ETNA <
23 TEAR A CAT (REACT AT A) *
24 ÉTAGE (l)EGATE <
26 UNWED WED after (S)UN
27 BETH (Eliza)BETH(ans)
28 ANGER DANGER − D
29 DRAB BARD <
30 RÉCITS RECITES − E(nthusiasm)
31 SENTRY SENT + RY
32 ETHER (w)ETHER
33 QUELL QUILL with (cartridg)E for I(tem)
34 U-TUBE homophone of YOUTUBE
35 EUGE HUGE with (m)E(n) for first letter
37 YEAH (flirt)Y (cuti)E + A + (matc)H
38 THAI (f)AITH *
39 UNEASE NAUSE(a) * + E
40 ARGALI GARIAL *
41 FATAH FATWAH − W
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