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Waiting for Brendan on this one. Plain sailing (lots of anagrams) until I hit a wall with 22d. So many possibilities, none of which I could parse. Waiting for the pdm. Not sure which way around 25a should be; either way makes sense. COD for me is 12a with 4d hot on its heels. Looking forward to smarter analysis from the experts.

Hi Alzy,

I found this quite a difficult Everyman.

I didn't help myself by putting in the wrong first word in 14a which, in combination with an unusual term at 1a, held me up for ages.

I remember 8d from childhood (being read it is actually one of my first ever memories) but oddly forgot the "jumpy" part but, if you get stuck, this clue along with 7d for the usual Everyman rhyming pair.

COD - As a resident I'll go with 20d, though I'm happy this problems "with aspiration" are a thing of the past.

Thanks to Everyman for a difficult but enjoyable puzzle.

Don't forget to leave a comment or ask for a hint if, like me, you get stuck.

Stay safe:-)

I would certainly like to know your thoughts on 22d (and 25a while you're at it.)

Hi Alzy,

25a - I've gone with "making changes! as the definition - a synonym for "leaving" with the "10" changing to/"as" "500".

22d - Single letter for "tense" + with a 5 letter "author" (as a verb) minus/"downing" its "whiskey" - definition is "tired" as in cliched.

Agreed on 25a. I was thrown off on 22d when I discovered a certain kind of whiskey (4 letters) that when added to the T, created a very nice word that made no sense in terms of the clue. It's now obvious where I went wrong, thanks to your explanation of "downing." As always a fun puzzle, and yes it did have it's challenging moments. Thank You again.

Morning all,
Strangely, I flew through this one in record time, must have been on the right wavelength or something. Liked 12a and 16d both of which seem implausibly long on first reading. I did have to check 8d which seems a bit obscure but other than that all good.

Hi Jono,

It's odd that both you and Alzy found this something of a stroll while I really struggled, but that's part of what make these puzzles so entertaining:-)

I too found it difficult, since it required some general knowledge in clues like 5d, 10a, 8d, 12a, and 27a. I had to google to verify. Yesterday’s prize puzzle was easier compared to this.

4d looks like it’s probably a really clever but so far a viable answer has elude me. Any hints appreciated.

10a is the other one that I haven’t twigged yet - is adventurer the definition?

All in all not a bad crossword. I thought 14 was a bit weak. 1a brought a smile, but no stand-outs for me this week ( unless the above prove to be, of course).

4d is about an imaginary stringed instrument. Yes, 10a is a name of an adventurer.