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Got 1 now - and so frustrated that I didn't see it earlier - pluralising 12 really messed me up!!!

Thank you, Buzzb. I rather agree with you about Circular And
Jumblies !

I share buzzb's dislike of circular grids and their consequent jumbles. In this particular case the absence of annular clues made it particularly difficult since every entry has three consecutive unchecked letters until one gets the theme, which I didn't get until I'd solved around three-quarters of the clues. Some of the perimeter entries are extremely obscure unless one is an expert, and getting the last couple was a slow and tedious slog since I was missing four clues.

I did not welcome this, coming so soon after the jumbles of a couple of weeks ago. Must have taken me around seven hours to solve.

On the positive side I echo buzzb's praise for the clues.

What is the def in 12?

Is 28 a 6 letter word beginning with A and ending in S?
Not sure what Cretan in wordplay means. God of the dead as def?

I have answer to 1. Does it go up, down or jumbled. Once I know I can start filling the grid.

Thanks.

Def in 12 is everything after the em-dash.
28 is as you say.
1 goes up.

Thanks.

A hole roped with edge seems a tough def.

Will have to think a little.

'Mining engineer' is simply a two-letter abbreviation. Surround it with a four-letter word meaning rubbish or "worthless things". 'Rarely' in the clue refers to a non-standard spelling of a relatively common word - usually made of rubber, not rope.

I now have 41 out of 48 answers and have tentatively entered a few, including the 7 letter ones. I have a possible name in the 4 centre segments. Is this significant please?

Thanks dryden.
The word usually has 2 Ms. But "rarely" is in the clue for a reason.

Scottish words are difficult for me.
Are these Scottish?

15. St. Andrews' souses
33. Work on Clyde
35. Mac's sure to see his ears (Ears may be lugs?)
43. east to Dover (is how Scots may put it)

What is the def in each case?
Thanks.