Frightened Catherine by Ifor

Puzzle explanation

Answers from double-definition clues were chosen so that “centigrade” (as the Celsius temperature scale was officially known until 1948) read down from cell 5 and “Fahrenheit” read upwards from cell 41, illustrating the equivalence of 5 °C and 41 °F. The point at which the two scales agree is -40. “Minus forty” also refers to ignoring clue 40 across, which referred to the puzzle’s title as an anagram of CENTIGRADE and FAHRENHEIT with one A missing.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation or [other defined word]
Across
1 AFRIC [AFRIT]
6 AIR-TRAP AIR + PART <
11 PROTEST [PROTIST]
12 ERUV UV after ER
13 SA SA (AS + AS) <
14 TENONER (O + (I)NTERNE(t)) *
15 LEAST [LEASH]
16 STRUNT [SCRUNT]
18 OILY [ONLY]
20 DAIL DAIL(y)
21 AETHER [ANTHER]
22 TAO TA + O’
23 RESH [REST]
25 SIR (R + IS) <
27 NOUGAT [NOUGHT]
28 ECCO (s)OCCE(r) <
31 GAEA [GAGA]
32 SERIES [SERIFS]
33 ROBES BORES *
34 EMBRAID (ADMIRE + B(ard)) *
36 CEDE homophone of SEED
37 MAGI MAGINOT − NOT
38 GO-AHEAD [GODHEAD]
39 TANTRUM ’T + ANTRUM
40 TANGRAM T(hat) + ANAGRAM − A; ref. title of puzzle as (CENTIGRADE + FAHRENHEIT − A) *
41 FARLS [EARLS]
Down
2 FRAENA F(o)R (s)A(l)E (i)N (w)A(r)
3 ROSALIA SAILOR * + A
4 ITA (gr)ATI(tude) <
6 ASTILBE TIL after AS + BE
7 REN CURRENT − CURT
8 RUN-UP RUN UP
9 AVENGER AVENIR with GE for I
10 PORTERHOUSE (THE POOR SURE) *
13 SLIDING SEAT (DIGEST SNAIL) *
18 OLOGY APOLOGY − AP
19 AT SEA (wh)AT’S EA(sily)
22 TOC EMMA (COMMENT + A) * − N
24 STARDOM TSARDOM with first letter moved
26 ICE BEER RICE BEER − R
29 CREDAL CRADLE *
30 URBAN 2 meanings
35 AIR RIA <
36 CHA CHAIN − IN
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