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Another cracking Everyman continuing the run of first-rate puzzles.

FOI was 1a followed by 3d.

I didn't find it overly difficult but there were a few that caused me some head scratching.

If you do get stuck there is at least one long anagram in the downs and at least one hidden in the acrosses.

As of writing this post I haven't fully parsed 15a but I am sure of my answer.

I also had a slight issue with 17a in that I always thought the S was pronounced but, having checked online, it seems it isn't!

COD - Lots of great clues today but my favs are 22d and 3d but the winner by a short-head is the brilliant 1a - what an image that conjures up 😂

Thanks to Everyman for another excellent puzzle:-)

Stay safe:-)

Hi Brendan.
I agree, thanks to Everyman for a good puzzle, not very difficult but a few tougher clues.
FOI 1a, LOI 14.
No blockbuster clues, going for 20 as COD over 11 (a good Spooner that I got fairly quickly for a change), 19 (first letters), 12 and 14.
I didn't notice a rhyming pair or significant alliteration. There's an interesting pair of antonyms, first words of 2 2-word across solutions. Coincidence?

Hi Geeker,

I hadn't noticed those two antonyms (there's a shock!). I agree it was a good Spoonerism, Everyman does seem to excel at these.

One of the clues reminded me of that brilliant advert with the Martians laughing their heads off at how " Earth people peeled their own potatoes with their metal knives, boiled them for twenty of their minutes ..." - it was voted TV advert of the century by Campaign magazine🤣

Maybe Anto was the setter...🤣
I really enjoy and admire a good Spooner clue. Perhaps because I'm so wretched at solving them.

Hi Brendan,In case you 15a didn't come to you, bothered is the last 5 letters. I think this is the fastest Everyman ever for me, but no complaints.

Got it, thanks Paul - it was the abbr. for Frenchman that caught me out.

Definitely on the easier side today, good fun though. The opposing antonyms in symmetrical grid positions are another Everyman signature we’ve seen before (I think the last one was start/stop and before that man/lady), so no doubt this is by design.

My French isn’t good enough to know whether the homophone is correct - it’s not the way I would pronounce it!

Which clue Ian?