47a I have consensus - the e from which gives me e_i_e for 48d join together,merge. I have been given the answer elide but google does not confirm. Does anyone know if it is definitely correct?
I posted earlier (somewhere!) that the omission of the letter allows for the 'joining up' of the remainder - as in "O'er", to allow for syllabic requirements.
I was aware of the usage in poetry & The Builder kindly added that it's also used in music to "smooth" notes.
Apologies to hideaway for the extra inbox traffic! :-)