The unclued lights (including one pair) form three groups, each linked to thematic keywords in different ways. Across 3 With audit team, I’ve reassessed weariness of life (7,5) 10 French studio had remainer? (7) 13 Admitted Church pupil initially played outside (8) 16 Bait ram that is held inside (5) 18 Dutch island, an impediment to America (5) 22 Young boy lurking in Portadown (3) 24 Bits of Whitechapel ham salad sandwiches (7) 26 Detective force surround ‘Blinder’?
The unclued lights (one hyphened and one of two words) each bear a common feature.
Eight unclued lights (three of two words, including an abbreviation) comprise two ingredients, an instruction and its instructor, and the work in which they feature. The ODQ provides confirmation. Across 1 Terribly pale, Tacitus yields (11) 11 Exotic fruit and slice of smelly cheese (6) 15 Tea after endless day in Russian cottage (5) 16 Pub screening sport in lead-up to ski jump (5) 17 Collide with cycles, back end first (6) 18 Fur coats originally sold in Slavic city (5) 21 Element of flamenco, initially jaunty and light, eventually overwhelming (5) 22 Departed, leaving female unescorted?
Eight entries – only four of which comprise one word – possess titular properties.
The unclued lights (including six of two words and one of three words), individually, as pairs or as trios, are of a kind.
Unclued lights feature in the same entry in Brewer. Across 1 Worked at jobs making decorations for shirts (6) 7 Inkpad destroyed in crime (6) 12 I bite idly, puzzled whether or not something could be food (9) 13 Decorative form returns in piccolo voluntary (5) 16 Gauge very low returns internally (6) 20 Tax collectors dig over unfenced allotment (7) 21 Excess of bright lipstick, on reflection (6) 22 Taxes received for American banks (6) 26 Announced food measure (4) 29 Go and act!
Clockwise round the grid from the square between 6 and 7 runs a quotation which could have referred to the three unclued lights, and its source (7,2,3,3,5,3,3,7,4,3,2,5,5). Across 9 Top part is the place to go in ships (5) 10 Wild party girl cycling (4) 11 Ex-president twice cut back tropical plants (5) 12 Unbounded profusion bewildered lunatic (7) 13 Article on devilish debonair Michael Gove?
When paired the unclued lights, one hyphened and one French geographical name, and another which is a combination of 18 & 33, are somehow related. Across 1 Freight making vehicle move (5) 6 The architect’s malign intentions? (7) 13 Legal term about wills in US and Spain – late revision (4-5) 15 House-builders’ workplace isn’t pleasant to see, we’re told (4) 16 Belgian crime writer, if not in France, entertains me (7) 17 Strips and barely moves?
Unclued lights give two lines of a poem, their author and a relevant location.
In one square in each quarter of the grid, across and down entries clash (leave these squares blank). From these eight letters four unclued lights (mutual anagrams) can be formed, each defined by one other unclued light.
The unclued lights are of a kind. One of them consists of two separate theme-words juxta-posed: one is of two words and two have to be paired. The letters in the red squares spell another theme-word and the letters in the yellowsquares can be arranged to form yet another (two-word) theme word. Across 1 Realise she can be awkward (6) 11 Pedro’s ‘See you later’ makes Oates laugh (5,5) 14 Bravo, gents, maybe May’s first flower (5) 18 Sky lad mixed polyester resins (6) 19 Bristle at small letter (4) 22 38 with mould in relief (6) 24 Obtain oil that’s for cooking the chop? (9) 25 European birds in the housetops?
Two of the eight unclued entries, appropriately placed, were likened to two others by a name hidden in the grid. The other four unclued entries are thematic. Unchecked letters could be arranged to spell ‘NO VAIN OAP MISBELIEVER, HIM’.
Twelve unclued entries can form six new words (not in the grid) Across 4 Each Chrome browser’s opening changes online site for self-validation? (4,7) 12 No charge for these new dancing routines (9) 13 Goblin at last living in tree trunk (5) 14 Cover turned over, novel is Catch-22?
The unclued lights, all but one being two or more words and some could include a hyphen, are of a kind.
The unclued lights have an award-winning feature in common.
Three pairs of unclued lights suggest three four-letter words which share the same last three letters but together form 40A-25D only. Solvers must shade the clued light that contains those three letters. Across 11 Lady also studied endlessly (6) 13 Cat televised a medic on board fishing boat (7) 15 Deed of Beatle (5) 16 Kiwi Queen of Crime spoils husband (5) 17 Wild Wyoming women ignored Will’s public disgrace (6) 21 Semi-aquatic beast needs groovy river (5) 22 Mound-birds fashioned piles keeping eggs very hidden (7) 27 Hearing result of being talked about somewhere?
The unclued lights share a common feature, while two trios from among the clued Down solutions do so to a lesser extent. Ignore an acute accent.
Nine unclued lights form three triplets, each related in a different way to the tenth. Across 1 Cartoonist has formerly captivated Spain (5) 10 Swayed and quit, sick in the stomach (10) 14 Handles fine fish (5) 15 Have a few days at skate park (5) 16 As support, use skinny leg (4,2) 20 Dancer for one popular in scarlet always (8) 21 A lamb chop?
Solvers may find it helpful to Mix and Match the 12 unclued entries.
The unclued lights are of a kind on line. Across 4 PC and Noddy seen in trouble.