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If This is "extremely gentle" I must have suddenly incurred extreme brain damage! Took ages even with every bit of online help I could find. Finally sorted on Sunday morning.🤑

I'm finding the biggest challenge here is understanding this thread! Help please:
COD
LOI
FOI

Hi Eraserman,
It’s a secret code ;-) Not really…
Clue Of the Day
Last One In
First One In

My heart sank when I saw the compiler was Vlad . Like you it took ages and had to resort to online and forum help, finally finished late last night.

Well, I think I've finished. My husband has just given me the answer to 22d after I explained the clue to him. Thanks for all the help from the forum.

My FOI was 17ac, my LOI was 22d and I think my COD must be 10ac which caused me so much difficulty. I couldn't sleep last night and am very tired, so I think I might just go for a nap now.

I wrote this at 5.30pm yesterday but failed to post it!

Sorry, maybe I overstated gentleness in post #1. It was on the easy side for Vlad, though.
After the NW quadrant was a near write-in, I was able to deduce almost all the longer clues from crossers, and spent most time on a few 4 and 5 letter solutions.
But many of the clues were difficult to parse and would have taken a long time absent crossers.

Evening all, always late to the forum as I try to do it without help but done I think apart from 5 and 8, so gentled nudges appreciated

Dazymay,
5a. def. is 'look'. Parses 'like' + ['city' in 'point']
8d is a 1-letter abbreviation in 'rubbish'

Matt

Many thanks, penny dropped and all done

Best wishes Martin