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We've a friend staying, convalescing from a (minor) heart attack. He takes the Times, so for the first time in ages, I did the Times crossword. I confess that I wrote in MAENAD from definition and "mad", without seeing the rest of it.

ChrisE, 'taking the Times ...' always strikes me as a long-gone expression. It puts me in mind of Miss Marple and cricket on the village green and all sorts of nostalgic stuff!

We had cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off at 4 this afternoon (actually, not!)

... and seed cake, ChrisE?

I don't think I've ever eaten seed cake. Are the seeds caraway, malone?

Good evening, Elle!
Well, Malone spoke good sense, and I tried to keep up!
Yes, "mad" for crazy, and "a en" for "a nut".
If you look up your fine copy of Chambers under "nut", you will find it is another word for "en", as in a printing measurement.
An "en" is half the size of an "em".
I liked 1d the best, I think, and 19a.

Info, Elle!
I was on the Crossword Club site just now to see if they knew the winner of the Championship, today.
It was Mark Goodliffe again!
That's 11 times he has won it.
He was over 10 minutes quicker than the runner-up.
I wonder if that is the same Mark who does the vlog?

Hi, Rusty!
Well done, Mark Goodliffe, on winning eleven times!
Ten minutes ahead of the next competitor is indeed a goodly timing.
Thank you for explaining "en" and "nut"!
( I was quite happy though with my own parsing of "en" for "n", representing "nut"!)
I have "utilitarianism" for 1d...... but cannot parse it.
And I cannot fully parse your other favourite either...
19a: Somerset = Bath here (def)
s - sulphur
What else?
A bit too hard for me today.......
Fireworks banging away .... dog most upset......

Hi elle
UTILITARIANISM was Bentham's "idea", and ARIANISM was the heresy. I'm not quite seeing how the subtraction (?) of the rest gives UTILIT

Hello, Elle,1d is (f)utilit(y) and Arianism.
Futility could be pointless.
I am presuming the town of Bath is in Somerset.
"Some" is "impressive"
As in, he scored some goal,
In admiration, that's "some" dress you are wearing.