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Scorpiojo and Phil

Thanks, I did get that answer as well, but as you say Phil, no idea how the clue works. Ho hum

I agree with you, Phil :-(

re 10a As there is a final ? I took this to be another &lit. The setter seems to be fond of &lits

@phil10000

Which plural do you think is incorrect ? The one at 27a is fine according to Websters (not shown in Chambers)

I liked this rather difficult puzzle, and all clues parse but caused a bit of head-scratching

Thanks Cerasus, for the parsing of 14ac - it’s obvious now!

Hi Cerasus They certainly are. And that's no bad thing -- &lits are fun. Trouble is, shouldn't the WHOLE of the clue point to the solution? Others may disagree, but I don't see much depth in Tigger and co.

Hi Jazz Yes, 27A. As I said, COD gives only one acceptable plural; and as you say, Chambers doesn't feel the need to give one at all, so by default that means add an 's'. As for using Webster's, we're not the 51st state yet!

@Brendan It was only once I had written backwards the letters of the only possible solution I could see to 24a that I had my Doh! moment!

@Phil10000

I have an old edition Merriam Webster's dictionary somewhere in the house gathering dust. My grandmother's brother emigrated to USA via Ellis Island . He returned to UK c1920 on a visit and brought the dictionary as a gift to his sister knowing that she loved crosswords.

Re 27a: The origin is Latin, from "sanctus"....
Thus I gave no thought to the plural ending with an "a" , until I read the queries on here.
But I have since checked in Collins, and both "sanctums" and "sancta" are offered as plurals.
I hope this helps resolve the matter.