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Hi Roof,

5a - 2 letter "street" + 6 letter "house" (royal) minus first letter/"van" - definition is "space reserved.

8d - 4 letter "stuff" goes around/"inspiring" "a" + 2 letter "playboy on vacation" - definition is "time off from study

Brendan
correction in 5 - last letter of van

16 is an example of the recurring "trick" with a 5 letter word

Woops, you're right Chris, my mistake:-)

16a - I think this is 3 letter "worker" + 2 letter "randy" (I think this is split 1,3,1) - definition is "inebriated"

Hi Roof
5ac parses as street (2) followed by royal house (7 less one letter 'van finally') definition is space reserved
8d
Definition is first four words and refers to period after A levels but I know not what the playboy stuff refers to
16ac parses as worker of the buzzy sort (3) and randy or R and Y (2) definition is inebriated.

Hi Teewens,

"on vacation" invariably means emptying all the inner letters from the word it refers to.

Many thanks to all of you for your hints. It still took me a while to get the answers because I don't like the definitions. The only one I should have got was 8d. It took me ages to work through the royal houses. At first I simply didn't go back far enough.

My FOI was 19ac, my LOI was 5ac (hopeless definition). My CODS were 19ac, 14ac and 13ac.

Finally finished this morning ,thanks to forum for help. Had been looking forward to it as an alternative to events in the capital but found it disappointing. Some of parsing difficult .
COD definitely 14
FOD 19
LOD 22

I am stuck in the NW. Is 4d a type of pasta?

Minno, yes it is

Thanks. Still mystified by 13a and 14a. Really, this is the thick end of the wedge.