Iq 1659

[hankir]

Each clue has an extra letter to be removed before solving.
Some answer lengths are longer than indicated.

1a. Rural magi confronting funds for prattlers (6)

7d. English poet’s style involving no limits to mass medium eventually (4)

17d. Nervous about dent being put in self-confidence (5, 2 words)

21d. Close way of popular female singer to punish students (5)

I have the answer to 19d but do not know which letter is extra.
Thanks.

[ProfessorMaisie]

19d 'wo[r]n' is extra (to give the W)

1 is thematic - 'mag' is dialect for gossip/talk (you need a 7 letter word) and a 5 letter word for 'funds' - or the things they're collected in (a common word).

There are loads of oscure words in this puzzle, hankir - and the setter has made it harder with the extra letters. If you don't mind wading through it I'll carry on - or I can just give answers (I'll wait a few minutes before the next ones).

[hankir]

Thanks ProfessorM.
I wonder if this is another very British theme.
Give me as close to answers as you can or give me answers.

[ProfessorMaisie]

ok hankir - and yes, it's very British (but 17d is famous just about everywhere - '[the] ???? ????') and the last 4 ???? is part of all of the thematics - but not found in the grid.

7d is thematic - def in the style of a very famous Eng poet (ans. 9 letters) anag 'NO LIMIT[s]' + (mas)S (mediu)M - [s] is extra.
17d is thematic - DEN[t] reversed inside 3 letters for 'self confidence' (think psychology) also lifted - def = 'nervous'[t] is extra.
I'll see if i can help with the others a bit more...

[ProfessorMaisie]

21d is obscure for the def, but the female singer is the opera one (4 letters) and to punish students you 'GATE' them - the usual 2 letter 'popular' starts the answer and [c] is extra ([c]lose).
It's another thematic answer (10 letters) and this might be a bit too British for you, but she's famous for riding a horse through Coventry a long, long time ago.

[hankir]

Thanks ProfessorM.

I have 1a starting with C with X somewhere in the answer. 7 letters in cell 1.
7d is about poet John.
17d. Answer is 2, 4 with two letters going in cell 1.
21. New word for me but have the first 4 letters in cell 1.

Three clashes give me horse rider, mothers and nude.
I have not solved all clues, but the message is about poison.
Still working on 8a, 16a, 1d, 2d and 25d.

[ProfessorMaisie]

...yes, that all sounds good, hankir (sorry I misled with 'popular' which just forms part of the opera singer bit, and not 'in' as it usually does - anyway, it didn't hold you up).
1 I'm sure you know is a famous (notorious?) literary heroine.
For [there's no 8a?]6a the extra is 'cha[m]ps' and its thematic part makes it a 6 letter answer.
for 16a extra is 'die[t]' and its thematic part makes it a 5 letter answer (def - 'online', or even, 'sent down the line').
1d extra is 'da[r]ted' - thematic makes it 8 letters (take 'at'+S out of 'essentially' and anag).
2d 'boss' = slang 'mistake' (as is the answer) extra 'bo[a]'
25d thematic (archaic) def = 'remembers' - extra ('he[i]st' + in + bk for anag).

[ProfessorMaisie]

...your 'mothers' has me wondering?

[hankir]

Thanks ProfessorM.
Please ignore mothers. I had placed clash in 17d/23a, now corrected to be in 25d.
Still working on 6a, 8d and 16a.
I have clashes in 1a/1d, 6a/7d, 16a/17d, 21a/21d, 23a/25d and 29a/28d.

What is the def in 8d.
I have the name of the movie.

[hankir]

got 16a. Anagram.

[ProfessorMaisie]

It's a bit late but...
...your clashes are correct and 8d def is 'slab' (I'm sure you already know this).