4103 Annual Turnover by Ragtag

This was a fun puzzle with a super penny dropping moment. The unclued word at 28 across was BOUSTROPHEDON and it took this Gregson a while to realise why some entries were in reverse. Boustrophedon ( (of ancient writing) alternately from right to left and from left to right) is from the Greek boustrophēdon turning like ploughing oxen, from bous ox, and strophē a turning. All the across entries had to be written in this fashion. Extra letters in wordplay gave CHARLES’S WAIN, the Great Bear or the Great Plough. In seven cells there was a clash of letters and these had to be replaced by stars, giving a reptresentation of the constellation.

Extra letters in wordplay are shown in []
 
Across
1 Give evidence of Gallic affectation (6)
DEPOSE DE + POSE
5 See Scarlett reset alarm (7)
STARTLE Anagram S[C]ARLETT
11 Measure of something done by many people with conviction (4)
TIME 2 definitions
13 Quiet holiday announced for former record-holder (6)
SLEEVE S[H] (quiet) + Homophone LEAVE
15 Urban area dumps with elegance (3)
TON TOWN less W (with)
16 Returning after a time, I, first of all the Empire, strike back (9)
RETALIATE LATER reversed + I + A(ll) T(he) E(mpire)
18 Fruit could be unprepared if not peeled (5)
PRUNE Anagram UNPRE(pared)
20 Cast off, as a woman would (4)
SHED SHE’D
21 It includes blank verse — the author’s unknown (5)
POESY POE’S + Y
22 Capital protection experienced after cure (6)
HELMET HE[A]L + MET
24 Cold-blooded type mostly backsliding (5)
ELAPS [R]ELAPS(E)
27 Remove outer covering from old pistol holding live round (5)
DEBAG BE reversed in DAG
28 Thematic (13) BOUSTROPHEDON
32 Glacial snow ending in river? Surely not! (5)
NEVER NÉVÉ + (rive)R
35 Wise words from commercial era (5)
ADAGE AD AGE
37 Epitome of wisdom in grandfather’s confession (6)
AVOWAL OW[L] in AVAL
39 Australian bounders used to settle in France (5)
EUROS 2 definitions
43 Genuine space traveller seen circling small alpine country (4)
ECHT CH (Switzerland) in ET
45 Audible evidence of unhappiness in the ranks (5)
TIERS Homophone TEARS
46 It’s a gamble changing pound into two shilling pieces to get fish (9)
ROUSSETTE ROULETTE changing L (£) to SS (2 shillings)
47 Fish, but without French wine — quite a different drink (3)
ALE ALEVIN less VIN
48 Leaderless team embraces a cause of general change (6)
LEAVEN A in (e)LEVEN
49 Something missing — not so much about love (4)
LOSS O (love) in L[E]SS
50 Given authority to deposit in a river a small sum of old money (7)
DEPUTED PUT in DEE + D (penny)
51 Degenerate ecstasy following celebration (6)
EFFETE E + F (following) + FETE
 
Down
1 Put off limits after charges are dropped (5)
DETER DETERMINES less MINES
2 Old writer’s surrounded by about a thousand gone berserk (5)
EMONG M in Anagram GONE
3 Kind of picture quietly popular at university (5)
PIN-UP P + IN + UP
4 Group of stars has splashed out without sign of hesitation (7)
SERPENT ER in SPENT
6 Hot peas all over the place in this eatery (7, two words)
TEA SHOP Anagram HOT PEAS
7 There’s almost complete shelter in the avenue (5)
ALLEE AL(l) + LEE
8 One-time carrier to the Kent area for a pair of Scots (4)
TWAE TWA + [S]E
9 Lady’s among the departed, dead, having been maltreated (8)
LATHERED HER in LATE + D (dead)
10 Waste discovered in a college’s staffroom (6)
EGESTA Hidden collEGE’S [S]TAffroom
12 Mountainous region features war god with heart of gold (5)
TYROL TYR + (g)OL(d)
14 The other side is extremely short of energy (5)
VERSO (e)VER SO
17 Out of work, in unpaid leisure (4)
IDLE Hidden
19 Collectables that should sometimes be allowed to be themselves (7)
BYGONES 2 definitions; ref. “let bygones be bygones”
23 Partners join up books (4)
EDDA E[W] + ADD reversed
25 Opening for air right inside a traffic hazard (8)
PORTHOLE R in POT-HOLE
26 These special locks are for annual ritual openings, primarily (4)
AFRO initial letters AF[A]RO
29 Take over from First Lady following a short reminder (7)
RELIEVE RELI(c) + EVE
30 That woman is a fanciful creature, the laird’s wife? (7)
HERSELF HER + ‘S + ELF
31 Switching parts of sign of eminence creates keen animosity (6)
HATRED ref. RED HAT
33 Most recent limitless source of a special kind of milk (4)
EWES (n)EWES(t)
34 Oddly stupid note in extended musical work (5)
SUITE odd letters StUpId + TE (note)
36 Part of an army — the main part but not socially acceptable (5)
CORPS CORPUS less U
38 In turbulent sea it’s something well worth having (5)
ASSET Anagram SEA + [T’S
40 Make enquiries about when to take prisoner in the old days (5)
SEASE AS (when) in SEE
41 One trained to guide a sanctimonious crowd (5)
PILOT PI + LOT
42 A tablet that brings happiness? About time! (5)
STELE T in SELE
44 Point at which Senegal stops vessel (4)
CUSP S[N] in CUP