Couples by Hoot




   Half of the clues arrive as couples, that is to say they form ten pairs when sorted in alphabetical order of their answers. So committed are these couples in their relationships that they have exchanged definitions with each other. The other half of the clues are sadly single, worse still all but one (which is normal) contain a misprint in the definition. The correct letters, in clue order, indicate how certain answers must be thematically treated before being entered into the grid, in most but not all cases resulting in non-words. Enumerations refer to grid entries.

Across                                
1 Stir in some mash (6)   
5 After starting to scan dad’s manuscript, use it to separate words (6)                         
 10 Make a mistake with a long narrative (5)             
 11 Explore, learn about northern bay (7)
 12 Fool made after tailless bird in North America (6)               
 15 Mare, an old working horse, ran away (3)         
 16 Historically, fiscal records about reduced stock  returned (7)                               
 17 Prove to be untrue, more so in America (8)         
 19 Ridge, massive but not grand (3)                 
 21 Tame, adventurous no longer? Take some new-age stimulants (4)                        
 22 Initially brandy is served straight, tipsy, is barfly able to see? (5)                          
 24 Cop looking for drugs in stony island (5)           
 25 Job is in the picture (4)                    
 26 Having a gold plate mounted in Gypsy earring (3)   
 28 Ramey, White and others, strange pairs in bed? On the contrary! (8)
 29 Strain to carry in rotten dates (7)                
 30 It’s a dollar short, come back cheat! (3)             
 33 Fox in a trap I set (6)                    
 34 Mischievously a spider hurried to Ed (7)             
 35 Meditates in bed after taking drug (5)            
 36 Stepped in sticky stuff, annoyed, disheartened (6)   
 37 Tail regions, ideal whenever included (6)         


Down
 1 Made it to an appointment to join university near Georgia (7)
 2 Indian cakes in Russian archive (4)
 3 Businesses that rake in money and rise  unexpectedly (10)
 4 In East Germany I played solitaire. Terrifying! (12)
 5 Attacks set apart lawyers (8, two words)
 6 Is paediatric alternative a substance poisonous to  kids? (12)
 7 Pay fare, once reduced, to Switzerland (5)
  8 Temperament? Not half crazy! (3)
  9 Were headless cranes replaced? (5)
  13 Dull knife, on the other hand, becomes harder to find  (10)
  14 Express opinions in writing and whine about letter  being sent back (5)
  18 Wrote ‘erromeously’ perhaps? Or maybe ‘missprinted’ (8)
  20 One from France, two from Italy and Spain in brine together  (5)
  23 Not worried about suffering, with no ordinary feeling of joy (7)
  26 Prodded old, unruly pets? It’s about time (5)
  27 Occasionally these silks have red dye (5)
  31 Bowl not quite filled with special fruit (4)
  32 Malt in an Italian monastery leads to follies requiring absolution (3)
To enter this competition, send your entry as an image or in list format to ccpuzzles@talktalk.net before 8th November 2019. The first correct entry drawn from the hat will receive a book from the Chambers range, which has been donated by Chambers.