The answers to the clues pair up such that the longer word in each pair can have a 5 letter palindromic substring replaced by a single letter to make the shorter word:
| Clue | Answer | Clue | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2. Ability of a material to be stretched or shaped like a wire | DUC(TILIT)Y | 11. Domain of the highest rank of nobility | DUC(H)Y |
| 3. Alaskan dog breed | (MALAM)UTE | 42. Rough fiber used to make twine or sacks | (J)UTE |
| 5. Author and creation date of a document, for example | ME(TADAT)A | 4. Arizona city with a population of half a million | ME(S)A |
| 6. Book or paper used as a source | (REFER)ENCE | 24. It may be made by white pickets | (F)ENCE |
| 8. Clotting agent | PLA(TELET) | 47. Take part in a game | PLA(Y) |
| 10. Constant sound unwavering in pitch | MO(NOTON)E | 44. Small burrowing mammal | MO(L)E |
| 12. Egyptian god of the afterlife | O(SIRIS) | 1. 1/16 of a lb. | O(Z) |
| 14. Flair, glamour | PI(ZZAZZ) | 32. One of 21 on a standard die | PI(P) |
| 18. Got 12 from 36 and 3, say | (DIVID)ED | 39. Proof-ending abbreviation | (Q)ED |
| 20. Honesty | CA(NDIDN)ESS | 16. Gentle touch | CA(R)ESS |
| 21. In any location | WHE(REVER) | 13. Expression of relief after a close call | WHE(W) |
| 25. Legendary reptile with a deadly gaze | BA(SILIS)K | 30. Not front | BA(C)K |
| 26. Lycanthrope | (WEREW)OLF | 15. Game with birdies but no nets or rackets | (G)OLF |
| 27. Made happy | GLAD(DENED) | 19. Grassy open space, such as where relays is held | GLAD(E) |
| 29. Narrow, low-rise living spaces common in the 19th century | TE(NEMEN)TS | 28. Messages sent via phone, perhaps | TE(X)TS |
| 33. One of typically 46 in humans | CHRO(MOSOM)E | 17. Google's browser | CHRO(M)E |
| 34. Parent's father, informally | GRAN(DDADD)Y | 35. Parent's mother, informally | GRAN(N)Y |
| 37. Part or ratio | P(ROPOR)TION | 9. Concoction with magical properties | P(O)TION |
| 40. Repeating something aloud from memory, or, at some colleges, a session led by a TA | REC(ITATI)ON | 7. Calculate, regard, or be of the opinion | REC(K)ON |
| 41. Residents of Astana | (KAZAK)HS | 31. Old film tape medium predating DVDs | (V)HS |
| 45. State of being opposed | ADVER(SENES)S | 36. Words that modify words other than nouns | ADVER(B)S |
| 46. Stunning and awe-inspiring, like a view | BRE(ATHTA)KING | 22. It describes news that is actively occurring or developing | BRE(A)KING |
| 48. The New York Times has a famous list of such books | B(ESTSE)LLERS | 50. Those who send invoices to customers | B(I)LLERS |
| 49. They're pulled or tugged when experiencing strong emotions | HEA(RTSTR)INGS | 43. Section titles | HEA(D)INGS |
| 51. Underground cemeteries | (CATAC)OMBS | 38. Places of interment | (T)OMBS |
| 52. Word with the same meaning | S(YNONY)M | 23. It may be indicated by capital sigma | S(U)M |
The replacement single letters are A-Z exactly once each. Replacing the numbers at the bottom of the puzzle by this letter (whether the number came from the bigger word's clue or the smaller) yields the clue EXCLAMATIONOFJOYWHICHISALSOATIKTOKPHOTOSHARINGAPPREPLACINGTHIRDLETTER BYFIVELETTERSEQUALSPUZZLEANSWERFIVETHREE. The exclamation of joy / TikTok photo app is WHEE; the only reasonable way to replace its third letter with a 5 letter palindromic substring and end up with the enumeration (5, 3) is the answer, WHITE TIE.