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Many thanks to Vlad for this week's Prize.
One of the most challenging setters IMO. This one perhaps on the gentle side for The Impaler, but delightful with many fine clues.
Felt difficult, but the clock stopped 2 minutes short of median Prize solving time.

FOI 13, LOI 2.

Many COD contenders: 1a, 2, 16, 13, 21, 10, 18, 25, 23.
Will go with 13 as COD as I like the word and it was for a while somewhat popular in US slang.

Correction: FOI 1d (typo).

Was filled with dread when I saw Vlad's name, but in fact it wasn't too bad. However still not parsing 6a, 13a, 22a, 25a, 26a, 2d, 7d, 8d, 19d, 23d ... so yeah ... I'm sure they will dawn on me over the next few days.

Also having trouble parsing 6 and 22, though certain of solutions. Fairly confident in solution and parsing of 2, though it seems the weakest clue in an otherwise excellent grid.

Reviewing parsings, I now think 4 and 5 are strong clues I should have considered for COD.

Hi geeker
Got to this very late, having got home at 4 am after a Burns Eve ceilidh, heaven help me.
6a - I THINK the first four letters are a reversal of an acronym for a police unit, but I’m not sure.
I’m more confident about 22a: an insertion of a 3-letter palindrome in a 4-letter word for nuts.
2d - I’m guessing that my solution and parsing are the same as yours. I kind of like the definition but am unconvinced by the parsing fodder.

And I agree with you on 4 and 5.
Vlad fills me with dread too, especially after too much whiskey. But there is so much to like when you get on his wavelength. My only quibble is with 2d, and possibly also 6a because if I’m right the parsing fodder is pretty obscure.

Morning all. Very slow start, foi 21.

Of course, having said that, they are now dropping like flies.

There are some odd clues here - 6a isn't the spelling I would expect, 11a strange anagrind, 12a definition seems a bit off, 3d why?, 1a, 18 and 19 little idea of parsing