Twelve symmetrically disposed unclued entries comprise three distinct interlinked quartets.
Across
1 Precise conjecture about coin-flip, oddly (8)
6 Peter out back, eating square meal (6)
10 Hit round ring – rim of upper drum (6)
11 Tiny baby consumed by gas (7)
12 Pedestrian holds back directions to Wick (5)
14 Advert I tweaked late in development (7)
15 We animate Ferris wheels (6)
18 Legal excuses persist regularly, certainly on detaining leader (8)
22 No time for anointing abstract artist (8)
24 Petition Henry for backing Greek musician (7)
29 Opening cut by old, extremely delicate round swords (7)
30 Honk grim old lady – look ahead (8)
35 Finished piercing fry I let off the hook (8)
37 Fury – Ireland attracting yobbos on vacation (6)
39 Stoppard play villain breaking into song (7)
40 Old vessel, mostly outdated, heading north (5)
41 Understanding 10 again and again, endlessly (7)
42 Call on revolutionary intellectual (6)
43 Sportsman died on face of Eagle Mountain (6)
44 Nigerian bottled amino acid (8)
Down
1 Initially, Sean Murphy rejected low cabin (9)
5 Breaking cover, soldiers step up (8)
7 Father and daughter entering dock (5)
8 Always note painful swallowing – it passes in waves (10, two words)
9 Left behind over pinching weights in China (5)
13 Empty rye drink on set and fill again (8)
16 Crush small toy right away (6)
19 In big headlines – Suspect: ‘Me? Arrested?’ (10)
20 Criminal getting stupid contract (8)
21 Buyer in French department (6)
23 Protection from nuisance runs out (9)
25 Visitor heartlessly set on beating dog (8)
33 Ray is kilometres into gorge (5)
34 Cover soft brown bread (5)
A first prize of £30 for the first correct solution opened on 28 June. There are two runners-up prizes of £20. Please scan or photograph entries and email them (including the crossword number in the subject field) to crosswords@spectator.co.uk – the dictionary prize is not available. We will accept postal entries again at some point. Apologies that there may be a delay in sending out prizes at present.
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