The seventeen entries with definition-only clues are to be treated according to a symmetrically disposed theme which has to be highlighted. Other clues are normal; all enumerations are of entry lengths.

Across

1 Bothers about losing, initially, eight pounds (6)
7 Help senior NCO when cutting hair (6, two words)
11 Wallop maker (10, hyphened)
13 A salt (5)
14 One fetching (5)
15 It, beer, runs over slacks (7)
17 Recess (7)
18 One races by whichever French province (6)
19 The beginning (4)
22 E.g. Co-op (6, two words)
24 Checking in, and again, interrupting Queen briefly (9, two words)
25 Thumbs-ups about Queen Elizabeth’s tunes? (5)
26 Remove, e.g., foil section of lunar module (5)
28 Nearly-new turbine unstable – it’s blown up (9 two words)
30 Garment (6)
33 Reversed cross hatch, say (4)
36 Carefully tilts, moving ring to the end (6, two words)
39 Language of litigant discharging a criminal (7)
40 Bound dictionary half-ruined internally (7)
41 UK city guides delivered through headphones (5)
42 Stop at sea (5, two words)
43 Frustrate man about performance (10)
44 Contribute towards entering engagement (6)
45 They may show disapproval (6)

Down

1 Extremely skimpy uncovered heap (6)
2 Failing to begin tests for foreign coins (5)
3 Gone after a month, initially nice figure (7)
4 Calmness (6)
5 Evil primarily occurring in Lent? (5)
6 Bullying (9)
7 Pound snatched by tight old dark character? (6)
8 Having picked up offence, Blair perhaps adjusting tune (7)
9 Great leg-over, I see! (5)
10 Unmixed (6, hyphened)
12 Skeletal part (10, hyphened)
16 Men turned up to eat ridiculous cheese (10)
20 Sound quality (4)
21 Sceptics ignore the first couple of symptoms (9)
23 Misinterpret hostility with pressure (4)
27 Roger died in a car somewhere in Wales (7)
29 Novice rail passenger? (7)
30 Showed resistance (6)
31 Country issues amended (6)
32 Former penal colony (6)
34 More than one fogey is active, hosting party (6)
35 Connection that is canned? (5, hyphened)
37 Better introductions to others in literary themes (5)
38 Bovver since hosting geezer on vacation (5)

A first prize of £30 for the first correct solution opened on 6 July. There are two runners-up prizes of £20. Please note that until further notice entries should be clearly scanned or photographed and emailed (including the crossword number in the subject field) to crosswords@spectator.co.uk — the dictionary prize will not be available. We will revert to postal entries when the pandemic relents. Please allow six weeks for prize delivery./>