Hymn by Vismut

Clues are presented in the alphabetical order of their solution and must be entered where they will fit. Read in normal clue order, an extra letter from the wordplay in some clues will give the first line of a hymn. In the completed grid solvers should draw a curved figure, without moving pen from paper, through the second line of the hymn, with the last word running into the first, for a hint of what is to be highlighted (31 letters). Any that are not complete grid entries – which, when lines are ignored, read as though they are – can be confirmed by the letters and enumeration of the spurious clue. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.

-    Saw second of bachelors heading to double date (5)     -    Royal rage about Vismut pushing right back (5)     -    Dried bits of dung strike artists in retrospective (6)     -    Rosie Lee’s written up new poem in time (6, two words)     -    More heroic British are extremely short (6)     -    Caught yours and mine at end of Kelso’s unbacked horse race (5)     -    Treat scientist (4)     -    Top to bottom paradise in small valley (4)     -    Previously works upon the two diamonds first (4)     -    Couple beside first 3 of miniature cathedrals (5)      -    Bad toenail threat throws ace (6)     -    Noble hosts cored the apple for one (5)     -    Dumbo flying the plane? (8)     -    Send out when beer stops getting served on the counter (4)     -    Swell space has stripped snoggers excited  (7)     -    Parrot coming back eating constant quantity of dry goods (4)     -    Record Heidi book for daughter and 18-20 Greek boys (6)     -    Some get a taxi in Parisienne rank (4)     -    Always losing American pitcher (4)     -    Runs away from one’s own family base aboard (5)     -    Catches the light fluff found in empty galleries (6)     -    Indian state enthusiastic about naked lady in parade (6)

-    Looked for bed after dance (5)     -    Pushes clipped mount to carry headless man (5)     -    Maybe pet cat starts to lick dead awful pet food under lid (6)     -    Illuminated five men in bluish colour (5)     -    Sad nudist regularly shelters in Scotland (6)     -    Wizard changing one into old juicy gourd (5)     -    Wind working wheels, this one has buckets (5)     -    Broke people at university invested in fake pearls (7)     -    Twelve year old pine tree cut up (7)     -    Scan Australian consuming iodine for potential worms (5)     -    Describing wealth of right creeps pushing nationalist down south (8)     -    Now and again shah kicked off about ancient Yemini (6)      -    Sarah snubbed earl in Nancy’s lobby (5)     -    Caught Jack eating no fat fish (5)     -    First piece of lingerie pierced sisters dressed without bustle (8)     -    Maybe two lots of columns halt briefly outside of Sparta (4)     -    Hot floor stripped around vacated latrine (6)     -    Taxed adult departing island full up (6)     -    Exquisite instrument sound from horn cutting off tenor (6)     -    Ground teal tacos keeping, not yet handed out (7)     -    Animal hunter’s close family sent up whiskey in the van  (8)

To enter this competition, send your entry as an image or in list format giving the highlighted entries and curved line, to ccpuzzles@talktalk.net before 8th May 2024. The first correct entry drawn from the hat will receive a book from the Chambers range, which has been donated by Chambers.