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I’m not sure I follow you on 25, Prospero. With the extra word removed, I read the clue as a one word definition followed by one word which gives most of the answer followed by an indication that the initial letters of the final two words complete the answer. No double duty involved.

My first ever Genius - what a clever puzzle!

Re jack aubrey@18, I see the 6 letter title, thanks, I'm assuming it's a coincidence as 24a is spelt slightly differently in the work.

In the "Private eye ...." clue did anyone else initially think it was just "ti" that was removed leaving the definition as "private eye and me" ('me' being Jack) as Chambers gives one definition of 'Jack' as a 'detective'.

... obviously this was at the start when I wasn't sure if letters being removed formed full or part words or a combination of the two.

of course! I had originally removed the second word, not the first, and not corrected ...

Welcome Hounds, I remember my first with fondness. There have been some crackers along the way, and this forum is very much part of the fun.

There are some fine minds here. They won't give you the answer, but they might just give you some hope.

Prospero, I believe, has done them all, which may be an unique achievement...

In the early years it required an extra subscription to The Graun, so uptake was low and correct entries often numbered in the 30s according to the newsletter.

And still Comrade P remains ungarlanded with the £100 cheque. So, crossword Gods, either an eyes-wide-open dip into the hat, or a lifetime achievement gong would seem to be in order

many thanks for your sympathy, sircrispin!

Hi Prospero, Just doing the sums. It doesn't add up. Someone's been trousering the loot. Has anyone here won more than once?

Up my street as well! What a charming puzzle from Jack.
As I got near the end of solving it, I kept taking breaks because it didn't want it to be over!

I'm in the same field the theme relates to. Someone I work with is capable of reproducing the theme in its entirety by himself, if time allows. If time doesn't allow he may reproduce parts of it. It's really good. If you've ever encountered someone doing that, it may have been him...