My Nap by Mr E

Puzzle explanation

The quotation given by initial letters of extra words in clues was “What an addition to [company] that would be!”, which occurs five times in Samuel Beckett’s novella Company. The answers to the normal clues were entered jumbled so as to form new words if appended to CO: GENERIC → CONCIERGE, SUCKER → COCKSURE, MUSTELINE → CONTUMELIES, WIRE → COWRIE, PROPENSE → COPPERNOSE.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra word Answer Explanation
Across
1 Weary REDSTART RESTART around D(ecember)
7 hates WREST W + REST
11 admits APIA APORIA − OR
12 tighter OBTURATOR (BUT A ROTOR) *
13 Agents VESPER ’VE + S + PER
14 neighbourhood PRIMULA RIMU in (P + LA)
17   GENERIC G + ENTERIC − T
18   SUCKER homophone of SUCCOUR
19 animals PEROVSKIA (SKIP OVER A) *
22 Decide RESTRINGE STRING in REE
25 dresses NEATEN N + EATEN
27 interior OUTCOME COME OUT with parts switched
30 tower NITERIE IT in (N + ERIE)
31 Illinois MINORS MS around (IN + OR)
32   MUSTELINE homophone of (MUST ALIGN)
33 overtaxed DRAT (qua)DRAT(ics)
34 nearer YEMEN ENEMY *
35 trade LENTISKS LENT + RISKS − R
Down
1 opponent RAVENER RAVE + NER(o)
2 tone DISMISSAL (IS + MISS) in DAL
3 hardly SAPIENT (I SPENT) * around A
4 activities TOEY TEY around O
5 travel ABRÉGÉ A + B + RE + GE
6 watches TURACO (CAT OUR) *
7   WIRE EIRE with W for E
8 overrun RAMPS 2 meanings
9 upended SOLARIUMS SOL + I in ARUMS
10 looming TRACE THE − HE + RACE
14   PROPENSE PEN in PROSE
15 discussing SCHEELITE CHE in (S + ELITE)
16 brandy DUKHOBORS (DO OK + SHRUB) *
20 extraneous SECONDI (CONDONE − ONE) in SEI
21 bourbons AGEISTS AS around GEIST
23 edifices INFILL INF + ILL
24 counts GUNMEN (GUNMEN + IRATE) * = ENUMERATING *
25 knows NINNY INN in NY
26 easternmost THEME EM in THE
28 threaten WREN WEN around R(acketeers)
29 taught FIST FIRST − R; “reading” being one of the three R’s
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