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Good afternoon, Rusty!
We are awash here.......
I think I may well stay in this afternoon.
Have you been out yet to do your errands ?
I have struggled with my puzzle...in between being distracted by phone calls and a visit.
I have answers (but not parsings ) for all but 3d, which , apart from knowing that it doesn't begin with "trojan", has got me beat!
I have T? 0?A? / P?I?E
No idea what it can be!
Also I cannot parse 16d...I have "choo- choo" for train......simply because it fits!
I have two homophones......
25a: "Toulouse " sounds like "to lose" and 19: "mussel" sounds like "muscle".
You mentioned 22a?
I 've got "eggcup".....
eg - for instance
GC (George Cross ) - award
up - winning
I liked "Mother Goose"!
I thought the crossword difficult today.

Hello, Elle!
"The Rights of Man" by "Thomas Paine".
Took me forever to nail it!
"Egg cup" is a great clue.
I could not see the George Cross part for a while.
Yes, it is not an easy puzzle.
So, well done, Elle!
Credit where it is due!
I wondered if you would know lum ?

Update, Elle?
Have you heard of Thomas Paine?
I had not but I remember in a film I saw yonks ago, there was a ship called "The Rights of Man".
What I liked about "egg cup", each word in the clue was needed for the answer.
No superfluousness in the clue at all!
Setter deserves a coconut!

Hi, Rusty!
No, I had never heard of Thomas Paine - although it would appear that I should have done so, as I have since discovered that he was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States!
Now "eggcup" was a great clue for me!
I found it one of the easiest to solve.
What you were saying about each word in the clue being needed.......nothing superfluous ( to borrow your word).........this is exactly what I like about the Everyman crossword!
Every word in the clues in the Everyman puzzles are always needed for the answers!
This is exactly what I was trying to explain to you the other week, although I didn't put it so succinctly!
This is why I like the Everyman so much!
We just had a sliver of sunshine......for a moment I got quite excited....
But it is pelting down with rain again!

Hello, Elle!
I did not know "Trojan" Paine was a Founding Father of the US?
I do not know any of them.
I wonder what that film was, that the "Rights of Man" was in?
That's fine you like the Everyman so much.
I have found it, in the past, just a tad on the easy side and I prefer a tougher puzzle.
Other than that, it's great!
It has turned into quite a nice afternoon here.
Hope it stays so!

Hi, Rusty!
I only know about Thomas - aka "Trojan" - Paine because I looked him up!
According to Wikipedia,
"Thomas Paine was an English-born American political activist, philosopher, political theorist and revolutionary. One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, he authored the two most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution and inspired the rebels in 1776 to declare independence from Britain."
At least I learned something new today in my struggle to do the crossword!
I don't know anything about a film?
I have belatedly done yesterday's Times QC.... I rather liked this clue......
Victim, as X is, alphabetically (4)

Hello, Elle!
Fine evening here!
I thought for a while on your clue and pondered "prey" but could not parse it.
So, I made a coffee and pondered again, and I think it may be because it's "pre Y" alphabetically?
I never knew all that about Trojan Paine!
And I have discovered which film had a ship in it called the "Rights of Man".
It was "Billy Budd" who was played by Terence Stamp.

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, well done!
"Prey" is the answer.
And I parsed it as "prey" = "victim" (definition )
pre...y (alphabetically)
We are agreed!
A neat clue, don't you think?
Well done on tracking down the film!
I know "Billy Budd" is a book written by Herman Melville, but I haven't read it.
I didn't know there was a film?
We have a lovely evening now...blue sky and sunshine!
Who would have believed it after all that rain!

Hello, Elle!
I can not remember much about the film.
I know Billy Budd was a fine young man and he was hanged from the ship's rigging at the end of the film.
Peter Ustinov played the ship's captain.
It is a grand evening here, too.

Hello, Elle!
Here is the trailer for Billy Budd.
Some fine actors taking part.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055796/videoplayer/vi3143369241?ref_=vp_pl_0