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.... well! If Paul can do it why can't I?😂

Cheated on 4d by using a missing letter solver.

Obviously I had to come here to work out 12a... I mean really? I have never heard anyone use that phrase.

Very hard I thought. Some nice clues and some were a bit iffy I thought.

Hi PDM

I thought it was very hard too. I've finished all bar two - 25ac and 15ac, but I can't be bothered anymore. There are a couple I'm not sure of as well.

My FOI was 13d as a guess, though I couldn't see the wordplay. My COI was 1d and 4d, but I'm puzzled by the S at the end of the latter. I think the word is an adjective and not a noun.

I've never heard 12ac and I think it is cheating to use a phrase that isn't in common usage.

Off to bed early so I can get up at usual time tomorrow. Lots to do.

13D is just an anagram Roof

Just realised I had the wrong first word for 14D :)

Makes a lot more sense now! I couldn't imagine they play another game (with S as 3rd letter) in board rooms, although we used to play a game of cricket on ours at school (pencil sharpener as the wicket IIRC).

After a tour of Co. Antrim yesterday as we're visiting family in Belfast I had to finish this this morning. Have to say I was left a little disappointed.

Didn't know 14d was a thing. Never heard of 12a. Can't parse 26a, 3d,1d and a few others. In fact I don't even know if 3d is correct as my app gives me a green tick anyway. Perhaps I need more time to work out the clueing but I'll not be remembering this all that fondly.

26A parses as a 3 letter word for a nonsense degree offered at Oxford inside a 3 letter word for a youngster.

3d I have a 2 letter exclamation and a 3 letter scoundrel, written backwards, meaning a Russian country house? I don't use the app but it looks right I think.

1d - definition is the first sentence of clue, and the answer gives an instruction of how to make the last word of the clue.

Like others I struggled with this at first but then greatly enjoyed it. FOI: 1a, LOI: 6d. COD has got to be the marvellous and sadly accurate 27a! Thank you, Vlad.

Fun overall, with some excellent clues and some challenges. FOI 5a but wrong, I think it gets a special mention as most deceptive clue, while managing to hide a very easy anagram!
9a similarly deceptive, with another perfectly good answer using AD for the year. 12A definitely dodgy but a sorry of logical colloquialism, so I think we must forgive it.
Thanks to Vlad and to all the contributors here

Thanks to Vlad-FOI 15a, then a long hiatus before picking up pace. Struggling to parse 6d. Assume it's straightforward as no-one has commented on it, but would appreciate some hints .