ILAM by MynoT

Puzzle explanation

The jumbling of across entries resulted in the left-hand third of the grid containing the letters A to H, the middle third containing I to P and the right third containing Q to Z (actually, R-U and X-Y, as the other letters didn’t appear). The omitted or extra letters in wordplay spelt out the instruction “colour A to H gules, I to P or, rest vert”. The resulting red-gold-green tricolour represented the flag of Guinea. The puzzle’s title is MALI backwards, as the flag of Mali is the same but with the colours in the opposite order.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer (unclued letter) Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1 BEAMED BREAMED − R
8 SIXTUS SIX + T(h)U(g)S
13 DAH DA[C]HA − A
14 BELLINI BELL + IN + I
16 USURY (US + Y[O]UR) *
17 FINAG(L)ED FED around (I + NAG)
19 JURISTS (JUST S[O]) around RI
20 CODOMAIN CO + D[U]O + MAIN
21 TUTUS 2 meanings
22 NOCHELLED (LONE + C + HELD) *
26 U-TU(R)NS UTU + N, S
28 DEAFEN DEA + FEN(i)
29 ORRIS-ROOT ORRIS + ROOT
31 FADE FAD + E
32 AMNIO (NO AIM) *
35 ECHIDNA HID in CANE *
36 TSOTSIS SIT < around SOTS
38 C(A)CHE C + CHE
39 PIT PONY PITY around (P + ON)
40 (T)RY RY
41 BEJADE (J + AD) in BEE
42 LIN LI[O]N
43 LUXURY L + UX + [H]UR + Y
Down
1 BA(G)GED BADGE *
2 ADD A + D[U]D
3 DEAD ADD[L]E *
4 MINION MIN[E] + I + ON
5 KILN (N + [S]ILK) *
6 OLIO (c)O(t)I(l)L(i)O(n) <
7 IN(I)ON IN ON
9 URUS TAURUS − TA
10 XYS(T)US X, Y + SUS
11 TUT-TUTS T[O]UT + TUT + S
12 SUSURRUS SU[P] + RUS < + RUS
15 BEAD A in BED
18 FACE-ACHE (A/C + EACH) in F[O]E
23 HEEDED HE[R]E + DE(e)D
24 EFFACE E + FF + [R]ACE
25 LOIN [E]LOIN
26 NIM-OIL [S]OIL after NIM
27 (T)RUSTY RUSTY
29 ONION ((m)O[V](e) + IN ON) *
30 RUST RU[E]ST
32 AHAB A + HABITAT − (I + TAT)
33 MINI [R]IMINI − I
34 STYX SIXTY * − I
37 (T)YR YR
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