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The 40 clues can be solved with answers:
REFURB A cheap computer, perhaps SNAFUS Army problems SANDAL Beach wear SLICED Cut thinly NIMBUS Dark cloud WALLET Don't leave home without yours BRUTAL Extremely vicious RENOWN Fame and respect SEDANS Family vehicles SNORTS Farm sounds WAHOOS Fast tropical fish TROPES Figures of speech REBOOT First attempt at solving many computer problems LADIDA Foppish (hyph.) SAHARA Former Strip casino SUFFER Go through painful times SEPTUM It can be deviated TENSOR It could be a vector or a scalar CAMERA Judge's chambers LATINO Like many Californians SOONER Longhorn rival DECLAW Make less dangerous, in a way MUTEST Most silent STREEP Oft-nominated Actress TELNET Older connection protocol CANNON Percussion instrument, for Tchaikovsky ARENAS Places for gladiators TOOTED Played a horn PEEVER Requirement for hopscotch, to some TARMAC Road surface ONIONS Sandwich toppings NONCOM Sarge, for example ETAMIN Soft cotton fabric MOCHAS Strong coffees SUBMIT Surrender DETHAW Take meat out of the freezer, perhaps ROSTER Team members ARARAT Turkish mountain TIMBER Warning call, sometimes RETORT Witty riposte
These chain, with words reading alternately from left to right and then right to left, into four chains as indicated by the boxes:
CANNON NONCOM MOCHAS SAHARA ARARAT TARMAC CAMERA ARENAS SANDAL LADIDA
SEDANS SNAFUS SUFFER REFURB BRUTAL LATINO ONIONS SNORTS STREEP PEEVER
SLICED DECLAW WALLET TELNET TENSOR ROSTER RETORT TROPES SEPTUM MUTEST
ETAMIN NIMBUS SUBMIT TIMBER REBOOT TOOTED DETHAW WAHOOS SOONER RENOWN
These four chains can be connected together with the addition of three extra boxes: SUE (ADIEUS/SUEDES), DEV (REVVED/DEVILS), and EST (TSETSE/ESTATE). The answer is therefore SUEDE VEST.