Knight’s Move by Merlin

Puzzle explanation

Misprints gave the quotation “You may know by my size that I have a kind of alacrity in sinking”, spoken by Sir John FALSTAFF in The Merry Wives of Windsor. His speech starts with “Have I lived to be carried in a basket, like a barrow of butcher’s offal, and to be thrown in the Thames?”, which was represented in the grid by his being tipped from a BUCK-BASKET to sink below the THAMES.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Altered word Answer Explanation
Across
1 hard(Y) AHAB A + H + AB
5 M(O)st / (U) FLATTEST FL + ATTEST
11 Pa(M)per RAGUSA RAG + US + A
12 (A) / The(Y) FELLA A after FELL
13 chic-K CLUCK C + LUCK
15 ski(N) BASKING BANG around SKI
17 t(O)o / (W) RETOOL (sto)RE TOO L(athes)
18 fi-B-re EPISTLE EP + ISTLE
21 (Y) / ha(M) PIGS 2 meanings
23 (Y)our TERU-TERO T + (OUR TREE) *
24 (S)top ANNALIST A-LIST after (AN + N)
26 gen(I)e EXON 2 meanings
28 (Z)one GUARANI (A + RA) in GUN + I
31 (E) / dar(T) INRUSH IAN RUSH − A
33 c(H)ap CHATHAM HAT in CHAM
34 Se(A)s / (T) ESSAY SEAS * + Y
35 wra(I)th ANGER (d)ANGER
36 (H)Ouse OTTERS (j)OTTERS
37 (A)corns ENGRAINS EN + GRAINS
38 V-ice STEW WETS <
Down
2 (E) / Sm(A)ll HALF-PINT HALT around (F + PIN)
3 K-in AGUTI A + GUT + I
4 m(I)en BUCKS 2 meanings
6 (N) / ba(D) LABILE LA + BILE
7 (O) / o(F)f AFAR A + RAF <
8 Be-A-d TEKTITE homophone of (TECH + TIGHT)
9 p(L)y / (A) ELIOT E + TOIL <
10 C-oats TAGLIONIS TAG + LION + IS
14 st-R-eam KETTLE 2 meanings
16 p-I-et HEPATICAE (A PIET ACHE) *
19 bu(T) / (Y) BUTANE BUT + AN + (Jun)E
20 ba-I-t IRONWARE ONWAR(d) in IRE
22 can-N-on SALUTER SALUTE + R
25 S-on SUMMON SON around UMM(a)
27 ho(I)st BRAGG ((revealin)G + GARB) <
29 lea(N)s / (K) RESTS 2 meanings
30 co-I-n ASSET AS + SET
32 (N) / (G)od HAJI (I + JAH) <
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