4097 Half-Thyme by Dipper

This was another welcome visit to Dipper’s herb garden, in which ‘half of the herbs are to be picked from the rows. The other half have been planted among the down clues.’

In the answers to across clues the first half of a herb was omitted and in down clues the second half was omitted from the clue. The herbs were ORIGAN, CIVE, BETONY, BORAGE, SAGE, CICELY, MINT, SORREL, HYSSOP, DILL and PURPIE.

Clashing letters had to be resolved to reveal PATERSON’S CURSE, any of various naturalized European herbs regarded as harmful to livestock.

Letters omitted from across answers and extra letters in down clues are shown in [ ]

 
Across

1 Chronicler wrongly harried phraseologist after losing contentious deals (15)
HIST[ORI]OGRAPHER  Anagram HARRIED PHRASEOLOGIST less Anagram DEALS

9 Passage from main road leads to single lane exit (5)
AISLE A1 + S(ingle) L(ane) E(xit)

11 Community’s dutiful conduct primarily replaced by right to hold court (7)
SO[CI]ETY PIETY replacing P with SOC

13 Joins priest in periodic protest (7)
RAB[BET]S ABBÉ in (p)R(o)T(e)S(t)

14 Faces up to being on the far side of river in Barry (7)
BRAZENS R (river) in BAZ (Barry) + ENS

15 Look eager about introduction of night flying (8)
AIR[BOR]NE AIR + N(ight) in BORE

16 A sound material for thatching (4)
ATAP A + TAP

18 Dividing line is base minus unknown angular unit (9)
STERA[DI]AN RADIX less X in STEAN

20 Shattering contents of Dali vase. It makes you spit (6)

[SA]LIVA Anagram (d)ALI VAS(e)

21 East German confusing a naturalist, having lost rat unexpectedly (8)
LUSATIAN Anagram A NATURALIST less Anagram RAT

23 Bundled female copper out of office into cells. Quite the reverse (11)
FAS[CIC]ULATE

26 One of two constellations initially recorded in America (4)
URSA R(ecorded) in USA

29 National Guard acquiring revolutionary artillery: everything that’s needed for battle (9)

[MI]LITARIA RA reversed in MILITIA

31 Prominent feature of discontinued porcelain (4)
CHIN CHIN(a)

32 Religious school punished erudition to some extent (5)
HEDER Hidden

34 Frequently changing heart to chide naughty girl (10)
OF[FEN]DRESS OFTEN changing central letter + DRESS

36 Hard to incorporate a little tempered martensite (7)
[SOR]BITE BIT in SORE

37 Slips Chinese into elite unit (5)
SHANS (slips = counterfeit coins) HAN in SS

38 Safe capturing terribly shy old sea creature (8)
P[HYS]ETER Anagram SHY in PETER

39 Sit motionless under cape after utterly losing energy in an indolent state (15)
[PUR]POSELESSNESS

 Down

1 Returning note about unfinished plot for book (6)
HERBAL BRE(w) in LAH reversed

2 Displaced Arabs, abandoned by king, becoming dwellers in Yemen (4)
SABA Anagram ARABS less R

3 Dislocated toes and even parts of ulna consisting of bone (6)
OSTEAL Anagram TOES + (u)L(n)A

4 Agents r[ely] on records (4)
REPS R + EPs

5 Distillation of cobalt spirit proving eminently soluble (8)
PORISTIC Anagram CO + SPIRIT

6 Giant [gan]net soaring up to edge of escarpment (4)
ETEN E(carpment) + NET reversed

7 Reaches Ke[nt] on board railway special (5)
KE in RY + S

8 With bellicose attitude, inclined to favour changing leader (7)
MARTIAL PARTIAL wit first letter changed

10 Start off mauling Byzantine tongue (6)
LINGUA Anagram (m)AULING

11 Hurriedly leave ca[ve] in spring (5)
SCAPA CA in SPA

12 Gambling game embracing ur[ge] for money (4)
EURO UR in EO

17 Turn and [rel]ease fizzy white wine (8)
SAUTERNE Anagram TURN + EASE

19 Tack around hems of taglioni in fine fabric (7)
BATISTE T(aglion)I in BASTE

22 Before leaving, tie flan[nel]s around middle of horse’s leg (6)
STIFLE Anagram TIE + FL(an)S

24 Garnishes [pie] with bacon cubes, just after being cut (5)
LARDS LARDONS less ON

25 Men besieging fringes of desolate young soldiers (6)
CADETS D(esolat)E in CATS

27 At one time follows sew[age] in three different directions (6)
ENSEWS SEW in ENS (3 directions)

28 Player starts to trump hearts with unusual insight (5)
THESP T(rump) + H + ESP

30 Fancy Ae[sop] coming back after fish (4)
IDEA ID + AE reversed.

33 Repeat part of Purce[ll] chorus (4)
ECHO Hidden

34 Half of jug. Most of jug. All of jug (4)
OLPE (ga)OL + PE(n)

35 Ir[ony] involved in beginning to Europeanise eastern country (4)
EIRE IR in  E(uropeanise) + E