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I was definitely on Everyman's wavelength today, I fairly breezed through this until.....

22d where I think I know the answer and it's arrived at but I've never heard the expression nor can I find it online or in Chambers. It doesn't help that it crosses with....

21a where my answer is a plural but the definition seems to be asking for a singular...

....or I've got them both wrong - entirely likely:-)

Those hiccups aside, I quite enjoyed this and there was a nice mix of clues.

COD the cryptic (aren't they all!!?) 27a.

Feel free to ask for hints if you stuck or just leave a comment giving your thoughts.

Anyone fancying a slightly more challenging weekend puzzle might like to try the Guardian Prize crossword. It's available free online at 12:01 hrs on Saturdays at:-

https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/series/prize

Thanks to Everymam.

Stay safe:-)

21a: Chambers defines it as ‘force’ only in the plural form. Yes, the “tusk’s” in the clue implies a singular form..
22d: I can’t quite parse the answer. But Chambers defines it as ‘to get punishment‘.

Hi Mathi,

21a If I've read it correctly, I think it works better if the apostrophe is taken out - but, as I said earlier, it's entirely possible I've misunderstood it and someone will explain it better.

22d My answer is an anagram/"drunken" of a word in the clue minus it's opening/"topless" and the single letter for "Spain". It would work if it was 3,1,2,2 but as it is makes no sense - again though, I'm sure someone will be able to explain it.

22d to clarify.....

There is a 3,1,2,2 phrase that means "criticised" and my answer consists of the first and last words of this phrase.

Yes, I understood it. Only in the form with 4,1,2,2, it means criticise, without any ambiguity. Chambers defines the 4,2 form as ‘to get punishment’, which is not exactly ‘criticise’.

22d: sorry, I get it now. I had the fourth letter as i, but it should be a. Then Chambers says it means ‘attack’.

Ok, wait a moment while I wipe this egg off my face:-)

Chambers gives the present tense version as "to get punishment", as you say, but it also gives "attack" which can easily mean "criticise" so the answer matches "criticised" exactly.

One of these days I'll have to look up the words in Chambers before hand - save me the trouble of having to dislodge my foot from my mouth:-)

Snap:-)

I am stuck with a few left--the chop'ntreat for 11a completely mystifies me.
I do not understand the Newman reference in 12a
And I am lost on the Tusk clue in 21a.
Please some hints

11a: For the first part, think of Castro’s South American country and use a four letter synonym for chop up.