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This week's crossword is by Philistine and, although it didn't take me too long, there were a few clues that really took a while to fully parse.

My FOI was 10a and, luckily, I managed to get the multi-word 11,21a soon after - this definitely helped make the solve a lot easier.

I'm not totally sure 2d works as although the answer is singular, I've only ever heard the game pronounced as a plural, but no doubt I'm missing something, and I can't really see what's cryptic about the answer to 14a but again...it's probably me. Also, in 4a the answer is clear but I can't see exactly how it's arrived at.

23,24a should please Chris, our resident chemist:-)

There are quite a few anagrams (well, more than usual) so if you get stuck I suggest looking for these.

COD a toss up between witty 10a and the simple but succinct 17d.

I've given up trying to rate difficulty but I will say that, although it took me a while to get going, once I did, things fell nicely into place.

Thanks to Philistine for a very enjoyable crossword.

Please feel free to leave a comment, answer a query, or ask for a hint if you get stuck.

Stay safe:-)

Hi Brendan,

I started slowly, then chugged along until problems with the SW corner.
COD was 9 (which I really enjoyed), followed by 18 and 13D.
LOI was 25; that, (23, 24) and 13d caused the slowdown.
Thanks to Philistine, maybe this is in the midrange of Prize puzzle difficulty, though that's of course subjective.

Hi Geeker,

13d I liked and it has such a smooth surface.

9a I got the answer straight away but had to Google to find the "mermaid".

25a even when I had the answer it took a while to work out why - it's an unusual indicator.

I forgot to mention that I required Google to get the solution to 25. :)

#Metoo:-) I think everyone (apart from Chris) will:-)

I’m not sure if I got 9a right. I think I have all the crossers right. Is it the famous cave in Scotland? Why man or mermaid in the clue?

Hi Mathi,

Yes, it is the one in Scotland. Split the answer into two words, (3,3) and you've got a humorous description of a "mermaid".

PS the "man" is the person whom the cave is named after - i think!

Thanks. In that case, the first three letters here may mean slang for hand or man, and the last three for mermaid, I think.

Oh, I get it now! Funny!