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I've made a dent, but I think being the worse for wear after some "enthusiastic" socialising last night isn't helping.

Loved 4D - having worked at a major UK turf accountant in the past meant it was pretty easy for me.

Going to have a pause and come back later on!

Also wandered up the garden path on 25a!

biggus56... a right that features a lot in literature from the odious Mr. Collins to the squire's capture of a prop forward for the village team in one of Wodehouse's novels

I have three words on my list of which I have never heard 12, 26 and 27 across. Still wandering up the garden path and about to throw myself in the pond…., is 25 across an obscure scientific term? I presume my biblical last word insertion is the red herring.

jono @20: I suspected some kind of perimeter Nina from Kite last week because of the many F, T and S entries.
But after brief thought I gave up, and would never have guessed the DARTBOARD theme.

After being ill last weekend, I have little crossword time this weekend (nice sunny weather, etc). Didn't much enjoy this Prize. Struck out on 25 and 27, don't want to spend any more time on them. After reading the hints, I now have 2 candidates for 25, but drawing a blank on 27. Giving up, will check 225 reveal next week.

Hi Geeker and everyone

Glad to hear you are better.

I've had a terrible week. First my crossword friend in Sheffield died suddenly of sepsis (she had cancer), then our elderly cat, Oscar, was run over in our back lane on Monday night. At least he died instantly, but we have been in shock and very sad. We go away for a few days on Monday to Shropshire. I then go on to Sheffield to stay with friends before going to the funeral on Monday week, so I won't be doing the crossword next week.

I won't have time to finish it today as we're off to the theatre this evening in Exeter. I shall return to it tomorrow if I can fit it in around packing. I've surprised myself by how many I've got, though I've found the parsing a bit off in a few cases. I've yet to tackle 25ac and 27ac. My first one in was 15ac - I can spot a double definition.

rogissimo @28, and johnto @32: now I've had a fuller look at 27, I can see that it's what I would call a 'valid word' - there's something that needs to be described, so let's have a word for it. But I still look at it and think that he could have been the left back for Boca Juniors for all it means to me. On the other hand, I will toss out science-y words with abandon, even if I don't know what they mean, because that's what people expect of me.
Thanks for your enlightenment.

Crikey, jono, re Kite last week. That can surely only ever have been a secret pleasure on Kite’s part. Very clever though. And presumably Pasquale deliberately nodded to Kite in today’s prize. Again, v clever.

Rog, we should have recalled Kite’s prize puzzle no. 29,284 from January this year where the words CHESS BOARD appeared in the grid and as Ninas it revealed two lines of PAWNS and RNBQKBNR opposing each other just like an opening chess board set-up. We spotted that one as I recall.

Roof, very sorry to hear your news. My best wishes.

Finally got 27, a completely new word, with the aid of Google. I got stuck by "keeping" the wrong *O*S "promises".
Funny that red herrings nailed me on both 25 and 27. 🤣 Fell right into the setter's snares.

Roof. Sorry to hear of your week. I lost one of my best friends this week to pancreatic cancer. In a funny way doing the crossword helped. I don't know why because I do it every Saturday anyway.