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Hi everyone

Why no posts today? I guess you all flound it dead easy. It is easier than most, but I still have two I can't solve.

16d Truth of the matter? One isn't party to bandit behaviour (3,5)
I have ?H? I?C?S. I can only find one answer, but have no idea why.

17d English opera in trouble again, having to hold back non-English part (8)
I have ?L?O?A?A
Are my crossers right?
I'm not sure about the I in 16d and the O in 17d

I'd be grateful for some hints.

The "o" in 17d is wrong.

16d i think your i is wrong
17d the O is wrong

non -english part = rol(e) inside an anagram of again

16d Your I is wrong, i should be an F. It's a phrase meaning "truth of the matter"

17d It's an English opera and an anagram of "again" + a word meaning "part" minus E(nglish) back/reversed.

I got those two, but am stuck on a couple of others:
2dn King Ben's second after Paul's music partner (6)
A-T-A-

28ac 'City of Love' backing onto Lancashire town? Not quite?(7)
L-N-O-N
This looks like LINCOLN, but can't see why - perhaps 'love backing' is NIL reversed and the rest clumsily says it's not in Lancashire, though I'd expect something better from Paul

2d Your second A is wrong. Definition is the name of a king. Think of a famous film with "Ben" in the title and the second half of a famous musical duo (featuring a Paul)

28a Yes about NIL + a Lancashire town cut short/not quite.

28a: yes, you are correct with "nil"...

Coln(e) is a Lancashire town...

I'm stuck with 26ac, Knock spots off front of trousers and rear,
T?U??. And 20d, Tie fleece round cheek, ?L??--?N. Otherwise it was not TOO hard. I had to use Quick Solve twice, and Answerbank too.

I just saw the Rear in 26ac, so now have ?L?P--?N for 20d, but just noticed I have no answer for 5d, Who talks twaddle like'gas in mock enclosure'. J?R?O?E?R. Quick Solve shows no matches.