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Yes. If you're, say, at a tedious party, you might say "I'm gonna check out" or "I'm gonna duck" and they'd both mean the same thing. I also use "check out" for "die".
There are certainly moves other than checks before mating; I just meant that the ones before checkmate were only checks.

Thanks aristo, appreciated.

Many thanks for all your entries. I have a shortlist which I'll now give further thought to, back shortly.
However, I have made a few observations which I realise are subjective but has a bearing on my view of clues.
I believe when definitions by example are being used in wordplay or to define the answer they require the inclusion of possibly,for example etc.
My predilection for subtractive anagrams is well known but I feel all words in the fodder should supply something other than smoothing the reading and should not subsequently be removed in entirety.
Although clues maybe technically valid in wordplay some I felt the surface reading was a little stilted.

Once again thank you for all your entries and as usual it isn't possible to give them all a mention.

I thought the following touches were inspired, BBM2's sleeping partners, fiery's game pattern, stevea's goodness, aristo's bunch of squares, seamus's Listener regular Afrikaner, peterm's boxing and les40's bags. I also liked stevea's and therogue's succinct offerings at 37 and 39 respectively.

However, combining great wordplay with a really smooth and credible surface, my winner is mattrom with

Have a decko at the gecko, defying gravity in endless fall

Your prize is from the era when darts was quite a bit more than just having a fluid throwing action

https://youtu.be/sHnBppccI0

Sincere congratulations, mattrom --- yours "stuck out a mile " for me !!!???!!!
And thanks to ginge --- though your video clip "doesn't exist" I'm told here in France..............................

Congratulations mattrom, thanks ginge...prize not working for me either...guessing big bellies and pints Jocky Wilson stylee!

Thanks ginge and congrats mattrom

Lovely surface, but, sorry - could someone tell me where the U and the other C come from? (I'm probably totally misinterpreting it!)

I got "This video does not exist" too.

https://youtu.be/sHnBppccI0o

I've tried recopying it above, obviously, spot on ixion.

@ chrise: chut(e) = endless fall.

Noticed the last character in the link somehow got deleted so hopefully that works, apologies.