Five of a kind (including two of two words) can be derived from the letters of 26/27, 40/41, 46/47, 3/34 and 10/39 (all real words). 32/12D suggests mispronounced praise of the theme. Elsewhere, ignore an accent.

        Across

   1    Soldiers drill in circle (5)

   5    Knave less than chaste (3) 

   8    Rude Rastaman ignoring Mr T’s yoga pose (5)  

12    Examiner Jeremiah shortened question (7)         

13    Last old engineers preserving Troy (7)

14    Snakes go grey around central Assam (5)           

16    Some clod I’m with? (6)

18    Fine Caledonian island they say (5)

19    Scot in a reel? (3)

22    Miserable Denis missing Italy yells for ever (9) 

23    Pike reduced seabird’s fodder (7)

28    Poisonous plant – signal end for Victoria (5)      

30    One’s pain crossing Oregon is bad (7)

35    Heartless odist greeting uxoricide (7)

37    The Saints’ Walcott, poet Christopher and Pusey? (9)        

42    Respect Paduan town with short river (6)           

43    Money Larissa lost leaving steamship (5)           

44    Seed novel aunt broadcast (4,3)          

45    May classy nut develop with mellow fruitfulness? (7)

48    One disease getting northern dramatist (5)          

        Down

   2    God and Esau awkwardly network (6)

   4    Irish people tense about hospital (5)

   6    Like teddies wee sons cuddled (6)

   7    Belgrade (not Lima) rebuilt market anew (7)

   9    Pay author enthralled by bouncing poems (7)     

11    Radical metropolitan starts to hate your liturgy (6)

15    Old piece has pianoforte (English) lifting spirits (7)            

17    Ravel sees main musician (8)             

20    Funeral song, say, in a cathedral (5)

21    Bravo certainly not blue (4,4)             

24    Failing degree, botched moderate question (7)

25    District attorney has tea in country house (5)

29    Romeo avoided vile terminal illness (7)

31    Silver catch in flash generator (7)

33    Worry of soprano possibly forgetting lied? (6)

35    Bar in extension on Hamish’s hill (6)

36    Last pair in Piccadilly go astray with drug (acid) (6)

38    Dramatist’s fiddle (5)

A first prize of £30 for the first correct solution opened on 30 January. 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, or post to: Crossword 2587, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP. Please allow six weeks for prize delivery. The dictionary prize is not available at present.

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