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Making no progress with my last 6,even with Chambers:
1a Extra handle in Gabon drilling advanced state AG???E
17a Civil Service ignored,tricky case in point unexpected for a veteran ??O??NATE
24a Question a lot earlier in test for personality ?SOR?
3d Kitty not opened for a fish ?T?ER?N?
25d Card close to defunct,claim to be penniless ??SE
5d Take up some ends in short shoe tie TSTR??
(assuming TUSCAN,MASTERSTROKE,FITTED UP & REDSEA are all correct in top right corner across:seems unlikely TSTR?? !!!)
Many thanks for any possible assistance! gk

Kitty is short for (k)atherine

5d TSTRAP is a style of shoe fastening

17a Anagram of CASE IN POINT without CS = unexpected

tose is a card

QSORT?

1a agname. G (IVR for Gabon) within A NAME

Many thanks to you both! I really think btw that the hyphen should at least be indicated in clues such as 5d & 24a.So 25d is presumably TOSE (Sh'sp. for card - vb.)tho' I don't follow the rest of the clue .Ah well,that's enough brain-racking & -picking for this Monday!

Tose - Card - T (close to defunct)(P) OSE
(pose - claim, penniless)

Many thanks,Tony,again:am I to understand the "close" (o) of "to" is defunct? A bit hairy---or I'm still not following...