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All done but two niggling queries.

21a I have the solution, the removed character and the wordplay but I can't see how the definition means the same as the solution.

29d I have the solution, the removed character and the definition but I can't see the wordplay.

21a the definition is two words (and pretty poor).

29 - once you have removed the extra you have two words producing the middle three letters then two words producing the three letters that consumes them.

Still don't see 24. & Lit clues are almost always dreadful and should be banned in my view, but as far as I can see that clue makes even less sense than most. It's just a bad straight non cryptic clue as far as I can see. Where are the 2 separate elements?

Thanks. For 21 I thought the definition was one word, the other word being part of the wordplay.... doh!

Re 24, I agree it's almost a straightforward definition made slightly obscure.

yep - think 24 is just a cryptic definition

For this solver 24 was a dull clue in a pretty dull puzzle.

Thanks JackA (#8) - got it now. Confident assertion of equivalence by setter - no 'hedge-bishops' then? Maybe not recently.

All done with 14 cells shaded giving a shape, but I cannot identify the character that shape represents. The nearest is five letters with an O at its centre (trying not to give too much away here) but while google images gives several varieties of that character non of them accurately match the shape in the puzzle.
Have I made an error? Is there another character I have not found?

smithsax - sounds like you have the right character and is fairly accurate as much as 14 cells in a crossword can be, so perhaps double-check the cells you have shaded

No idea on third down set. Cannot see any linkage. Any hints out there?

specsaver - go to the part of the BRB where you checked the ones you've already got, and if you didn't need to check: do so.