Shades of Green by Gos

Puzzle explanation

The theme was Carol Reed’s award-winning British film The Third Man, which premiered in London on 2 September 1949. The initial grid contained the two main stars, Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, to be changed to their respective characters Holly Martins (hunter) and the titular Third Man (hunted), who turned out to be Harry Lime. The title refers to holly and lime as shades of green and also hints at the screenplay writer, Graham Greene.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
8 AMATEUR A + ATE in RUM <
10 SOLAR SO + LA(y) + R
11 CAIMAN (AIM + AN) after C
12 LUNGIS (far-f)LUNG IS(lands)
13 ASCARIS AS + CAR IS
14 ELO (ch)E(ap) L(ab)O(ur)
15 SADE D in SAE
18 COCCI COC(o) + CI
20 SPECIES SPECIE + S
22 CHAW (mo)CHA W(eed)
23 ALIEN A + LIEN
24 SPOOF S(ome) P(arody) O(r) O(ther) F(arce)
25 ANTA (adv)ANTA(ge)
26 PIERCEL CEL after PIER
28 FATWA FA + TWA
31 TOOL LOOT <
33 ECU E + CU
35 ALUMINE LU in (A + MINE)
37 BESEEM BE + SEE + M
38 CLOVES L in COVES
39 ORDER BORDER − B
40 NEURONE NONE around EUR
41 EFTEST E + FT + EST
42 AMENDS AMENS around D(rafts’)
Down
1 OMASA (AS + A + MO) <
2 SAIC SIC around A
3 PEARLIES ESPALIER *
4 CRISES C + RISES
5 TSUBO (distric)T SUBO(ffice)
6 TONIC NOTIC(e) *
7 NAIL 3 meanings
9 GLUCOSIC GLU(m) + CO + SIC(k)
11 CASSIA CAS(a) + IS < + A
16 DELTA 2 meanings
17 GENDARME DANGER * + ME
19 CHOCO CHOCO(latey)
21 SPECULUM (U + LUM) after SPEC
26 PLAINT PLIANT with central letters swapped
27 KEBOB K(nif)E + BOB
29 TWEET WEE in TT
30 WHERE W + HERE
32 ON END DONEN with first letter moved down
34 CERE SINCERE − SIN
36 IVON (NOV I) <
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