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My big problem with 26a is that I don't see how 7 letters of a 9 letter word can be described as its "heart".

Also I feel that 8d doesn't work. "Aerobics" gives STEPS, which is outside DAD. Unless "aerobics commercials" is supposed to mean STEP ADS, which is nonsense.

Quocunque, re 8d: stepdads = relatives(def)
step ads - aerobics commercials
d - died

In cryptic clues, the 'heart' of a word can be one or more letters ; in this clue, it is the centre 7 letters which are anagrammed.
Step ads is meant to be jokey

I’ve enjoyed reading your thread this year, sharing all the ups and downs of the early months, so thank you for all that - and, Brendan, your mention of newcomers has spurred me to register!

I struggled a bit today. It took me a long time to catch what ‘caught’ meant in 18A! And I still can’t parse 17D - I thought the solution was used only verbally, whereas ‘drivel’ is a noun. Besides, i’d have thought dribble was closer to the definition. Or am I missing something?

My final puzzle was 12A. I read it rather as ‘confused when left *in*’. It’s attached when left out!

Thanks for the clarifications. I had no difficulty solving either clue, but I've never in 50 years of solving seen 7/9ths of a word described as its heart. And step ads doesn't say aerobics commercials to me, even as a joke.

Drivel can also be used a verb

Welcome Tomthom !

...from Chambers -' Drivel: to dribble, slaver like an infant, to speak like an idiot...' I quite like it when a crossword has a word, in the clue or in the answer, that makes me stop to think!

Thanks, Cerasus, I had wondered (I’m away from my dictionaries). The ‘it’s’ misled me into seeing ‘drivel’ as a noun - isn’t ‘it’s’ superfluous?

Hi TomThom, Welcome to the Forum. I'm so glad you registered and decided to post. It's made my day.

Re 17d. It's an anagram of one of the words minus a 'cross' (as opposed to a tick?) and as Malone and Cerasus have pointed out 'Drivel' can be a verb.

Look forward to hearing from you again.