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LOL! Thanks Mrs T.

28A: Hmm, I've just tried using a French 'a' (plus accent) and making that fit any meaning of per but I can't.

OK, I've got the first 2 letters of 13A from your clue and my answer seems to be correct now I'm no longer trying to dishearten the singer! I can see who she is, too. But the last 3 letters: how do they equal the end of the clue? Sorry if I'm being really thick here.

Let's hope someone can enlighten us on 1A/1D. Meanwhile it's nice to be in the same boat...

peterm:
'The unabridged answer replaces the long underscore at the end of the clue. "One potterer in" + unabridged answer is an anagram ("is abused") of the first 2 words of the clue.'

livs bangs head on desk, repeatedly.

Good clue, though.

I don't think there's much more to be said about 1ac. It's pretty much a double definition. It may not be everyone's idea of a good clue, but I think that's it!

Doh thanks peterm I get 1a completely now. Lives, the last 3 letters of13a can mean 'country' as in ...lines. I STILL don't get the parsing of 1d so I'm either completely stupid or I've got the wrong answer. Is Polly Styrene relevant?

OK, I AM being really thick here, but I still don't see 1A from 'In this leader's field' except that the leader is ahead of things and field has a certain ocular meaning. Is that all there is to it? (Thinking of the clue for 27A, surely 1A answer is what you get when you're trailing, not leading?! And it's not usually a pretty sight.)

Thanks, peterm!

28a - the first 3 letters are 'a' - from memory, I think Chambers has defines 'a-(those 3 letters)-a' as 'a all on its own' or something similar.

I am a little disappointed by this crossword this month - what does the 3d etc answer give us that we couldn't work out from the fact that each of the downs begins with a single letter?

If I understand right, Mrs T:

the first 2 words of the clue to 1D

contain the same letters as

the answer to 1D
plus
the last 3 words of the clue to 1D.

I've set it out like that 'cos I was confusing myself.

I agree barista - and, as I said earlier, as far as I can see the instructions don't actually tell us to do what we had to do with regard to that letter.
I've had enough of trying to work out 1d, I need to go to my happy place now. I'll check in later in the week to see if I can get it then. Thanks peterm, sorry I'm such a poor student!

Yes, it's a Poly Styrene kinda thing - I hope, otherwise I'm wrong too. I'm going to check the anagram.

Thanks livs but I justb don't get the potterer thing