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Really wanted 24A to be

I'm Hart: mORPH'S ego steerage :-)

Hi Ixion.
I’m just about to start another bash at the SE corner – still 3 to go. I don’t know how long I’ve actually spent on this puzzle so far but I’m pretty sure it’s the longest I’ve ever spent on a crossword. You said in an earlier post that it’s lucky you’re a masochist – I share your pain!! But also the enjoyment – I’m determined to finish this, albeit with some help from this thread!

Peterm #155
Thank you for your hint re 16d.
Funnily enough because I had 3 crossing letters correct the answer was one of 2 possible words I had that fitted. The ‘(I)’ threw me a bit as I thought it was an ‘L’ for a while and although I ‘saw’ the last town I was thinking more of ‘marbles’ than ‘towns’.

Sid48 #156
I totally agree with you – I think this is the hardest Genius I’ve encountered and definitely one of, if not the, best. I also think (see my note to Ixion above) that it’s one of the most enjoyable!
I think it’s a fantastic puzzle – I love Araucaria’s puzzles and have done for decades – and when he produces a ‘special’ like this I just have to stand in awe of how he can be so inventive and witty. If the term ‘genius’ can be ascribed to a crossword compiler then he really is one.

Hope you all finish before too long – now, with a fresh cup of coffee, I’m off to crack 29ac and 20 & 25d.

Thanks for the help.

Five to go for me.

Have I got the gaps right?

27A After THEMA or THEMAT (perhaps CH follows)
19D After IT (perhaps CH follows again)
20D After the C of Cade ?

EB - 20dn: the break is in "cad_e", but over my dead body will I help you any further!

Hey Ixion, I've been assuming that in 6D - the old codgers assemble in the pub. But where can I find the confirmation of the solution as a valid single word?

Rob P - after the t in try and the a in pager. See earlier post for 20d.

Thanks, peterm. That doesn't mean I've got them though.

RonH - it's just one old codger that you get to see in the pub. A French dramatist - in Wikipedia (though new to me).

Hah, just got 20D. Excellent.

Thanks, peterm. Some of the passages are rather strange (as we've noted). 19D for one, as the grammar is much-mangled. The answer is presumably an old country. And why are there two adverbs in 29A? I thought one would have been "split." 20D seems pretty arbitrary too, but probably because I assuemd it was about designated drivers.

So, only 25D now, and there are three possibilities according to Chambers.