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Thanks Crosbie, I really appreciate that:-)

I always find &Lit clues a bit tricky - that is when I recognise them! To be honest I'm not even totally sure I know what constitutes one 😕

I made the same mistake with 17. Now the clue makes more sense! Still can't figure out 18, though.

Hi Lexo,

18d - This is the clue I had the most trouble with.

The definition is "spur" but it's not one that I knew so check your dictionary carefully.

The last four letters are a type of hairstyle and so if you were in a competition you would want to ??? ???? your competitors in the same way a runner would want to ???run his/her competitors

Ah - got it now. I was parsing the clue completely wrong. The R, P, and T made me think it was an anagram, with "hairdressing" being the indicator. Thanks for the tip!

Hi Brendan
The equivalence of "spur" with the solution is so loose as to be nearly non-existent. Everyman could have come up with a much better definition - "sudden occurrence" perhaps?

Hi Chris,

I wonder if I've misread it then? I took the definition of "spur" to be as a 'projection' or 'protuberance' above the ground, in the same way that the answer is to "protrude above the soil".

Yes, but that's not what the answer means, except in very restricted circumstances - it doesn't even have to protrude above the surroundings, just be detectable at the surface. (Trust me, I have taught some geology!)

I believe you Chris, I do. My knowledge of geology is on a par with that of gardening - pretty much non-existent!