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Hi Scorpiojo I'm sure you're right with the [S]talks parse for 24a, but for that to work are we to assume that S is an accepted abbreviation for Society? When has that ever been the case?

Quite often. Have you a copy of Chambers, Phil?

Hi Phil, it's No. 4 on the list of abbreviations in Chambers.

Blimey -- there you go. No mention of it in COD (yet more evidence that Chambers is superior). Thanks -- that parse was driving me crazy!

It's funny, I have no idea what 14ac, What's ever-so briny, could be. I have ?E?D ?E?. Feels like it could be Seed bed, but why? It's my last one.

Dead Sea

dead - ever so
sea - (the) briny

I put DEAD SEA - I think it's a kind of "&lit" clue where...

Ever-so = Dead

Briny = Sea

Thanks both of you. I had no idea about Ever so being Dead but can see it now. Very briny indeed!

Stuck on 17d - Tests idiot about uniform. I have ?s ?e?e?s. Assume an anagram of 'tests' is part of the answer, but I just can't get there: Too much raki for 2 weeks and arriving home at 4 am because of flight delays doesnt help... ;-)