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HI everybody

Well I'm not finding it easy. It was sending me to sleep so I took a break to get the washing in. It is decidely balmy here in Exeter.

I got two answers on first read through and then a few more, but my brain cells are asleep. My FOI was 27ac followed by 18d. I don't know a two letter abbreviation for News (20d). Similarly, I don't know a 2 letter abbreviation for papers in 7d, unless it is the name of one particular paper.

How about a hint for 14d. I have ???S?D???? and 13ac for which I have only one letter and no idea what the clue means. Hoping for a breakthrough. I'll be back.

Brendan, I hope your sister's book launch goes well. Is it a novel? If so, what is her genre?

Roof, your crossers are wrong on 14d.
It's a backward clue, defn. "runs" [🤣], parses as reversal of 1, 4, 4 where the first 4 (before reversal) is an anagram of a word in the clue.

13: defn. "more than one daily", parses as 2 ("promotion") inside 8 ("twerps").

Hi Roof,
20d not an abbreviation for news but rather an abbreviation for new repeated twice.
7d it’s papers as in ‘show me your papers’
13a this use of ‘daily’ (noun) is rather antiquated as is the solution. It’s an 8 letter word for twerps with a 2 letter word for promotion inside
14d the final ‘runs’ is the definition, perhaps you might say ‘the runs’. 4 letters for attack reversed then an anagram .
Hope that helps

Cheers Birdy

Thanks Geeker and Jono

I was being stupid. I got 14d quite quickly when I thought about it, followed by 19ac and 20d. Of course the News just meant one letter twice. I still haven't got 13ac though I have worked out the parsing. I just can't think of an eight letter word for twerps.

I've nearly completed the bottom half, but the top half isn't looking so good. It would help to get 1ac, for which I only have one crosser. My 6.00pm glass of wine might revitalise my brain cells too.

Hi Roof,

I do not know if you have things sorted yet but for the twerps you might think along the lines of new kingS.
The elegist in 1a is T S Eliot, so elegist is doing double duty.
I hope you get it finished.

Hi Mystogre

Thanks for your hints. I had got 1ac and several others in between eating, watching the Norwegian drama and doing the washing up. And I've just got 13ac thanks to your hint. Just six to get now, five of them in the north west corner, though I have a couple of extra crossers now, which might help. I'm not sure why I'm finding it so difficult. Perhaps you or someone can tell me if I have the right crossers for 1d. I think I know the second part of the word and as I write this I suddenly see the first part as well. Just 7d, 11ac and 6d to go.

Any further hints gratefully received.

Good hints for 7d and 11a on page 2 of thread.

6 is a backward clue, defn. "recurring idea", parses as reversal of [1 ("English") + 4 ("left")].

So, having got 1d, I then got 11ac and 7d. Just 6d to go, but I have no idea, let alone a recurring one. Are my crossers right T?O?E?

There are a number I'm not sure of the parsing. For example, 16d, 18ac, 23d. I've never heard of 19ac and I think a number of the definitions are a bit off. My CODs remain 18d, 8d and perhaps 10ac, though in the latter case, I think there should only be one litre.

I'm away next week-end so won't be here as I won't get time to do the crossword. I only do it on a Saturday.