Explanation by Lato

Puzzle explanation

The quotation was “Let me have men about me that are fat” spoken by Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s play of that name. Subtracting the letters of beef-ham, meat, tuna and malt from the quotation and adding the Y unused in the perimeter gave letters to make “they overate” (“in the past tense”, specified in order to eliminate “they overeat”) which was to be written beneath the grid as a likely explanation for the eligibility of the five perimeter entries.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
9 HIELAND HIE + LAND
10 TRUMEAU (MATURE + (st)U(dent)) *
12 Y-FRONTS ST < after (FR in YOU)
13 MALIC CLAIM *
14 YEAH (E in HAY) <
15 THE DRINK THINK about RED *
16 DUN Homophone (DONE)
18 DOER DO(v)ER
20 LIMY (s)LIMY
22 RETARD REAR about T’ + D(artmoor)
24 SHY Two definitions
25 AERO AE + RO(w)
27 HINT HIT about N
28 ICE VICE – V; reference US word for “to kill”
29 RATTLE RA + TITLE – I’
32 NOAH NOH about A
34 OAR Homophone (OR)
35 ELEPHANT PELE < + H + ANT
39 ARES SEA < about R
41 VAKAS VA + ASK *
42 STRETTI TITTERS *
43 ITERATE LITERATE – (cab)L(e)
44 BEEF-HAM SPECIAL: (Sir Thomas) BEECHAM, C replaced by F
Down
1 NIFE NE about IF
2 RERAN (transmitte)R in REAN
3 VANED Homophone (VEINED)
4 INTRODUCE (RUCTION(s) + ED) *
5 ITCH PITCH – P
6 FREE FRÈRE – R
7 IMARI Hidden reversed
8 RAINY RAY about IN
11 ELI ELITE – TE
17 MALT SPECIAL: SMALT – ’S
19 CHARACTER CHARTER about AC
21 MEAT SPECIAL: E in MAT (verb)
23 TUNA SPECIAL: (A + NUT) <
24 SCOOT Two definitions
25 ASTI ASTI(r)
30 PLATO PLATOON – ON
31 SPARD SPAR + D
33 HAREM E in HARM
34 ORTHO OR + HOT *
36 EKE Two definitions
37 ANTE (w)ANTE(d)
38 NE’ER NE(w)ER
40 ETAS ETA + S
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