4105  Out to Work by Charybdis

This was a delightful puzzle from Charybdis. Six down was SCALLYWAG and this was central to the theme of the crossword, which was JUMPING JACK. This could be worked out by adding the values of the clashing letters in 11 cells. Extra letters in across clues gave the instruction OPEN THE BOX. By releasing the figure of a jumping Jack, formed by 6 down plus the 11 cells of clashing letters and their reflections, new words could be perceived. These were 4 occupations containing the word JACK, LUMBER, TAR, STEEPLE and QUARTER. The misprints in down clues gave MASTER OF NONE, which gave a hint to JACK OF ALL TRADES, explaining why occupations were required. Finally, solvers could highlight another epithet for the symmetrical figure (6-6), SPRING-HEELED.

Extra letters in clues are shown in []
 
Across
2 Short waterproof with seat seen from behind (4)
TARP PRAT reversed
6 Be inattentive and rules will get broken when kettling m[o]b (7)
SLUMBER MB in Anagram RULES
13 The greatest possible support’s not unknown (3)
ALL ALLY less Y
14 Cha[p] with bad flu going round right to be upset? (7)
TEARFUL R in TEA + Anagram FLU
15 Horse is prepared for a drive (5)
STEED ‘S + TEED
16 Woo[e]d very gently when in drink (5)
APPLE PP in ALE
17 Earl mistakenly retaining clubs initially lays spades and revokes (7)
RECALLS C in Anagram EARL + L(ays) + S
18 Maybe little do[n]e when effects seen by cardinal (6)
KITTEN KIT + TEN (cardinal number)
19 In a way, Craig’s counterpart sickens adult (5)
AILSA AILS + A (ref. Ailsa Craig)
22 Coarse material is mostly got by sailors (4)
HARN HA(d) + RN
23 Victim came round this diamond mine? (6)
QUARRY 3 definitions
25 He draws level (4)
TIER 2 definitions
27 Bears responsibility at first — informally me[t] twice outside (5)
URSUS R in US + US
28 Weak grandchild is misery (3)
WOE W + OE
29 Hold vegetables kindly left out (5)
PEASE PLEASE less L (left)
31 Alignment chart is mostly in reverse (4)
ABAC ABAC(k)
33 Two l[e]ads for stringed musical instruments (6)
GUSLES GUS + LES (2 names)
34 Bung lake in wet clay ground (4)
PLUG L in PUG
36 Glass of beer one imbibed as tipple (5)
PAINT A in PINT
39 Mother wearing make-up around Brazilian town (6)
PALMAS MA in SLAP reversed
41 Choice to occur at start of race — we need a worker in lead (7)
PLUMBER PLUM + BE + R(ace)
43 [B]one no longer to be relied on — it’s in part of gut (5)
ILEAL 1 + LEAL
44 Innocent’s daughter maybe fine popping happy pill (5)
NIECE E in NICE (ref. Pope Innocent)
45 Shooting up? That’s dreary after uni[o]n’s split (7)
SPIRING (unin)SPIRING
46 Who’s into renunciation? (3)
NUN Hidden
47 Will’s taken coat off and cast to ne[x]t fish (7)
SHEELED EEL in SHED
48 Ploughs degree in Roman Art (4)
ARDS D in ARS
 
Down
1 A city of unsettled Arabs? (5)
BASRA Anagram ARABS
3 Beer that’s cloudy — Guinness perhaps? (4)
ALEC ALE + C (cloudy) Ref. Alec Guinness
4 Birds share ground (5)
RHEAS Anagram SHARE
5 Dodgy [m]oralist adapts to fit what’s needed (7)
TAILORS
6 Ne’er-do-well’s phone in s[a]y with wife and girlfriend? (9)
SCALLYWAG CALL in SY + WAG
7 [S]end lecturer to recess (5)
LAPSE L + APSE
8 Fruit’s sort of acid by [t]ending of parasite in gall (6)
MALICE MALIC + (parasit)E
9 Kin[e] taking part in sombre threnody (8)
BRETHREN Hidden
10 It [r]aids and improves nabbing of criminal drug seizure (4)
E-FIT E + FIT
11 Vulgarity is an attribute of old maid going topless (6)
RUDERY (p)RUDERY
12 Bombers circling lake for fish (8)
BLENNIES L in BENNIES
20 Praise from city university director (4)
LAUD LA + U + D
21 Superior sort of g[o]lden oriole — number briefly having escaped (9)
LIEGE-LORD Anagram GLDENORIOLE less N (number)
23 Query i[f] caught in pretentious wisecracking (8)
QUIPPISH Q + I in UPPISH
24 Long-established choir keeps silver money in Slough (8)
QUAGMIRE AG (silver) + M in QUIRE
26 He gardens in India and part of West Africa (4)
MALI 2 definitions
29 Immature ra[n]t, with more than half unhappy to get palm fruit (7)
PUPUNHA PUP + UNHA(ppy)
30 B[o]ars initially placed in taxonomic group (6)
CLASPS P(laced) in CLASS
32 Graduate in li[n]e to be a magistrate (6)
BAILIE BA + I' + LIE
35 Within a generation, d[e]ad depart (5)
APAGE PA in AGE
37 Friend’s sister originally in the wrong (5)
AMISS AMI'S + S(ister)
38 Heathcliff’s to break wind (5)
TREND T' + REND
40 Reluctant to have material cut at first (4)
LOTH (c)LOTH
42 Yield from a source of oil initially decreases (4)
BEND BEN (oil) + D(ecreases)