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Another fine Everyman continuing the good run we've had since the start of the year.

FOI was the yummy 8a followed by that classic 6d.

i found this quite a bit more difficult than usual and I'm still not at all sure what is going on in 10a or with the parsing for 25a where I don't get the reference to "pale ale".

If you do get stuck there is a very long anagram along with an obvious "primarily" in the downs and a long anagram in the acrosses, but the anagram solver I used only had the singular.

COD - I really liked 3d imagining this group of Everyman's friends but I have to give it to 15d A nationalist idiot in Belgian city - for it's super smooth surface.

As always, please feel free to leave a comment or ask for a hint if you get stuck.

Stay safe:-)

.....and as is par for the course I see 10a as soon as I post! A tricky clue to unpack.

Hi Brendan, I thought the long anagrams helped a lot with this one.
10a. was my last in. It's good to see a setter using an anagram indicator for the word to be subtracted, as well as the main fodder. This often gets neglected.
I had a smile at 25a. If you take 1P from 'pale', it becomes 'ale'.

Brendan,

25: How would you make "pale" into "ale" (or "ale" out of "pale")?
Still struggling with 9: have a reasonable guess but no idea how to parse.

Hi Geeker, hi Mattrom,

25a - That's brilliant:-)

9a - Word for "employment" with the "temperature" changing from Fahrenheit to Celsius - definition is "file".

I think 10a might have been my COD if I'd managed to parse it earlier - a very good clue.

25a - I checked with Google and wouldn't you know there is a pale ale called ?........? by the Wentworth Brewery - what are the odds! 😃

Amended by Admin to remove name of ale.

Brendan,

Thanks on 9 (slapping forehead), it had escaped me and I erred on the definition.

Agreed re. increased trickiness today. Thanks Mattrom for unlocking 10a which in turn solidified one or two around it. Good fun - especially for geography buffs. Agree with all that 25a is a bit of a stretch. Too intent on pairing the top and bottom clues? Fun one for me.

That's not like you, Brendan to give things away ???