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Thanks to Brendan for an extremely challenging New Year's Prize. I despaired of finishing, but set the puzzle aside for a while and cracked it upon returning. Slow going from start to finish, but struggled particularly with the SE quadrant. FOI 4, LOI 26. COD 22, the clue that held me up longest.
It's been a long week at work, so perhaps it's fatigue, but I wonder whether other forum members found this puzzle difficult. Happy New Year and have fun!

Still battling, but struggling. It's effectively four for the price of one with this grid. It kind of disappoints for today in that I'd hoped for something themed, unless that's yet to be revealed?

Definitely on the tough side as were a number of the mid-week cryptics this week I thought. That grid really is a case of four quadrants and heavy on six and nine letter solutions. 12 of each in fact. Got the four little ones in the middle first and worked out from there.
2d appeared earlier this week in almost identical grid position I noted. And I’ve only ever seen 1a in crosswords. In fact I checked and it was Brendan who used it earlier this year with the other spelling and in the same grid position.

Knowing it’s Brendan and it’s the first puzzle of the New Year I was expecting something clever to be going on… perhaps it is?

Happy New Year to all!

Oh there is!! I just spotted it! Look carefully and you’ll see it!

So there is, that helped with finishing off!

It's definitely challenging my brain this morning! A few slipped in very easily, I then cruised for while but I am now struggling to finish the SE corner. Enjoying it, but not the most satisfying of puzzles. Bonne année to one and all!

Yes, I wish I’d spotted it earlier! There’s also something going on in the middle square... brilliant piece of construction by Brendan

Wow, I see the devices, but only after you mentioned them!
Managed to solve the puzzle unaware of them.
After Brendan's alphabetic feats in his last Prize, should have suspected something.

I've just spotted the theme, but I'm stuck in the SE.

Could someone confirm the middle letter in 21a? My answer is given clearly by the first 5 words in the clue, but I can't see how the rest fits in.

If I'm right, it suggests a very well known website for 22d, but I haven't a clue how it would parse!

Hi Chris, if you have a website (one we use on certain other threads rather often) for 22d then your middle letter for 21a is correct. 22d took me a while to parse. Purchase goes up the other parts go down.