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....and it started off so well:-)

Seriously though, I got 1a straight away (when you see it you'll know why) and that was quickly followed by 2d and 4d (although I had to check the "diver" part) and so, naturally, I thought I was on for a quick solve - how wrong I was!

I first ran in to trouble with 5a, where I had a word that fitted a definition but couldn't see any relationship to Dr Crippen, then I saw 5d! I'm still not exactly sure what's going on but I'll hopefully have a PDM (Penny Drop Moment) if I keep looking.

I began to wonder if I'd even finish but luckily there are a couple of long anagrams in the acrosses, but be warned, there's a letter substitution in one and the other only appears in only one anagram solver that I could find, and the end word is not in Chambers.

Actually, technically speaking this is a DNF because I'm still not sure about 26a - it's odd because there are only a handful of words that fit my letter pattern and none seem to match a definition.

In addition, I'm still unsure what part "murderer" plays in 13a - my answer would still be the same without it, although it wouldn't read so well.

COD - Some good contenders, 23a and 22d are both short but have lovely surfaces and 9a made me laugh but I'm going with 14a.

Thanks to Puck for a challenging crossword.

I'm glad to say we had more first-time posters last week so let's see if we can keep the trend going - there are always people willing to help if you get stuck.

Stay safe:-)

No longer a DNF - I've just seen 26a:-) Can't say I've ever heard of it but Wiki confirms it.

Hi Brendan, just starting, and not finding it easy.
13a. is wordplay + double definition. The answer was one of a pair of murderers in the 1800's.

Hi Brendan,

Thanks to Puck for a tough challenge!
I picked off a handful of "low-hanging fruit" easy clues and thought the puzzle might be on the easy side...but that quickly changed. Finished after a dour struggle, though 7 remains unparsed despite seeing the answer almost immediately. LOI 11, which took a great deal of trial and error even with all the crossers. COD 16, exceptionally clever. 20 (difficult) and 12 (I had to Google) also standouts. Most difficult Prize in a while; granted I generally find Puck's wavelength far less readily than Paul's.

Hi Mattrom,

Of course, i completely overlooked this murderer, I was hung up on Dr Crippen!

Hi Geeker,

I'm glad you mentioned 16d, I've just realised I can't account for the L.

I see I'm not the only one finding it difficult.

Brendan,
16: trying to avoid obvious spoilers...read words 6 through 8 of the clue.

16d - back in "national" - how did I not see it 🤪

I'd have saved myself a lot of frustration if I'd managed to spell 5d correctly 😡 but still not sure how to parse 5a.

Brendan,
It's an anagram ("doctor") of (a three-letter word plus the first letters of 5 consecutive words). Exact wordplay a bit disguised, took a while to figure out.

Thanks Geeker, I kept trying to link it to 5d and just wasn't able to see past it.