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This Everyman is has quite a different feel to it, with some very intricate unpacking needed for some of the clues.

I didn't help myself by picking the wrong definition for 8d which made 10a way more difficult than it should have been.

If you do get stuck there's a long anagram in downs, and a couple in the acrosses but, be warned, they don't all appear in all the online solvers. There's also a couple of "initially" clues but one of these is require an extra step to solve.

There are still a couple I haven't fully parsed, namely the three word Spoonerism? at 3d and also 7d - where the answers are clear but the wordplay eludes me!

COD - Has to be 9a which is just brilliant - less is more 😉

If. like me, you do get stuck, you just have to post your query on here - there are always people around willing to help.

Stay safe:-)

Started late, so still working on it, but the (clumsy) Spoonerism of 3d requires the first two letters of word #3 switching with the first letter of word #2. If you say it aloud enough times, you'll get it. Not really my idea of a satisfying Spoonerism.

Brendan, regarding the parsing for 7D, take the first 5 letters of your answer and insert a letter between letters #4 and #5.

Hi Brendan and Alzy,
Grrr...I now have an earworm of 15a.
7d. is the type of spoke in a bicycle wheel, minus the first letter of 'up' + H
I thought 20d was fun, liked 26a and 3a.

Finally finished after much binding in the marsh - as they used to sing. I'll go with my COD as 25a; LOI 4a; FOI 1d. All good fun.

Thanks Akg, thanks Mattrom,

I kept trying to remove an A ("at first") from a word for "spoke up" and, once I got the idea in my head, just couldn't shift from it - much like that awful tune in Mattrom's head 😜

Thanks Alzy,

I get the Spoonerism but, as you say, it takes quite a few repetitions to get it sounding right - at least for me!

I agree Brendan 9a is clever and very pleasing. Some corkers today. I particularly enjoyed the topical 26a. 19d amused me for some reason. It is amazing how there is a name that makes up most of 14d but who knew? The fact that the turnips word can be in another word backwards at 25a is quite something in my mind.

Having got to know that Everyman uses rhyming (or alliterative) pairs of long words helped get the second of the two today.

Thanks for the parsing of 7d akg and mattrom - I have not seen spokes used that way before so I was v confused...

I have absolutely no idea what is going on at 8d. Really can only be one answer, but why? Would be grateful if someone could fill me in please.

Happy crosswording everyone!

Hi FemmeNoire,

I absolutely love your synopsis:-)

8d - It's a word meaning "degree of precision" although I had absolutely no idea that this was one of it's meanings.....but Chambers says it is so.....! then change 100 for "name" and you get a word that is "less than 100"

See what I mean about some of the clues being so intricate!!

Sorry, .....change 100 for "number" is what I should have said.