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Sorry, Rusty!
That last post was supposed to be addressed to you!
Hence the enquiry as to what you are having for your tea!
I don't know what happened to the greeting!!
I swear I typed it!!!

Hello, Malone!
I would say the setter knew, and even if not, the clues are all OK'd by the crossword editor before the puzzle is published.
I think it is fine!

Thanks for that, Rusty. I'd forgotten that there was a crossword editor - and I expect he's quite rigorous! It's a rather crafty clue - and apart from the town/city aspect, I thought it was quite a fun one, with the Bolt On idea.

Hello, Elle!
I had maple pancakes for my tea.
Very nice, too!
Was a good puzzle today.
28a is new to me.

Rusty, I too enjoyed today's puzzle - and this was partly down to it looking harder than it was! I don't like things too simple, but some of the clues today initially looked quite tough. They turned out to be doable, and I liked having to make an effort.

Hello, Malone!
I could not agree more!
I like a tough puzzle.
Tomorrow's puzzle will be one used in the Championship so I'd think it will be a good tussle with the setter!

Rusty, I sometimes lose the tussle in the Championship puzzles - but I enjoy the scrap! It's always a fair fight.

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, your tea sounds nice - I like pancakes, but I usually have savoury ones.
We had sausages and mash, with lots of onions and a thick gravy.
Wonderful!
Yes, it was a good puzzle today, but I'm afraid that I cannot accept 20a, with the interchange of town /city used in conjunction with the name of a specific town that had actually applied to become a "city"......and had been refused!
To me it makes a total nonsense of the clue.
( Perhaps it might have been more acceptable had the setter picked a large town that had never been involved in applying for city status?
That might possibly have been a different ball game?)
Right, I'm now stepping down from my orange box.....
I am stuck on 22a: Town, online , requested Wilts hotel to renovate old bar (7,4)
W?I?T?E/ ?T?P
I cannot see where to go with this?
What am I missing, please?

Hello, Elle!
22a, The old bar is "estop", anagram of "Wilts h(otel)", giving "Whistle stop", a stop on a railway line.
Pancakes are nice!
I think you are getting too deeply involved with the "Bolton" clue.
There are thousands of solvers who have not a clue about Bolton's failed bid to become a city.
The clue works fine the way it is.
If you do not like it, fire off an email to Mr Rogan to see what he says?

Hi, Rusty!
Ah, thank you for the parsing!
I did not realise that "bar" in that context meant "stop/ hinder/ preclude".
I was looking for an alcoholic establishment!
Not that I would have been any the wiser had I understood, as "estop" is a totally new word for me.
Yes, I understand it now that you have kindly explained it to me.
That is a brilliant idea of yours for me to email Mr R !
Last time I did that, he was great, and sent me a very nice letter in return.
But how do I do it?
I cannot find any reference that I must have used previously?
Do you have an email address/ contact number/ whatever, please?
Do you remember our "conversation " with Rose...and our "fifteen minutes" of fame in the paper?