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All very straightforward but I cannot see the alternative to 29 down that Doc is looking for. I have the obvious one starting T.

I think that the first letter of 29 down is not T and that it is the other unchecked letter (4th) which can toggle between two words.

I'm bothered by 3 down. Doc says the unclued lights are "all nouns or verb forms" but this one can be either an agent noun or the past tense of a verb - and the unchecked last letter determines which. (I grant that the verb is encountered much more often than the noun.)

Also, 15 down is an adjective, isn't it?

My 2nd one for 29d begins with 'n'

Will, I totally agree about 15 down which is an adjective. My original answer to 29 down - first letter T and fifth N - fits thematically but I couldn’t find a second form of it.

If I'm correct about 29 down, Unclued, then the letter which you had in 4th place actually begins the word instead. Both the words then formed by toggling the 4th letter are moderately-to-very obscure but I did find them both in Chambers.

15d is surely an adjective. Maybe the preamble is just poorly worded?

17d is, I think, a noun; but it's not in Chambers (it's in Collins), which the preamble would usually indicate. Am I correct or have I missed something?

I agree about 15 down. I can't find it as a noun or verb anywhere. 17 down is not in any of my 3 copies of Chambers but it is in Chambers Word Wizard, That also gives 3 alternatives for 2 down. For 29 down I have a substance used in making leather and an alternative spelling for a type of cotton material. Off now for a crossword-less long weekend away. I expect withdrawal symptoms.

The only two words from Chambers that go in 29 down are tannin and nankin. The mistake at 15 down is just another example of lack of test solving of the final version of the Spectator crossword. I would assume that the singular version at 2 down is required.

29d could be nanDin or nanKin
I have acadia, tatter, and diddle for the ones near nankin....are they correct?

Yes those are correct. However, I can’t find NANDIN in my version of Chambers app.