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That is I took primary to mean chief or first rather than sole or only!

Bambi, that was the problem I warned about earlier. 5a Across shares a starting cell with 5a Down. 7b Down shares a starting cell with 8a Across.

Notrab, it's perfectly true that Chambers' isn't the only reference, especially when it comes to geographical names, proper nouns, etc. However, if a setter uses a word that is in Chambers but a definition that is not in Chambers, that would be flagged in the preamble. This case is identical. I don't want to blow up the issue out of proportion - I see it is a flaw, but perhaps not a major flaw. But wouldn't it have been better if the other five examples had been true acronyms? There are loads to choose from so I cannot believe that would have seriously impeded grid construction. It would have been a more elegant puzzle for it in my view.

I certainly agree that it could have been constructed more elegantly but I did not feel misled or that it made finding a solution any more difficult - unlike some recent examples. And as a recent participant I do find these exchanges helpful, thank you.

thanks meursalt, hopefully can progres now

I've solved everything but wonder if anyone can parse the first clue in 13 down, please? I can't see how the cryptic part is meant to work, given that I know I have a correct entry for it.

I'm not sure that there is a cryptic part to it. A deformation of 2 planes, remaining parallel, would be movement on an oblique line. But why the '?' - so maybe I haven't answered it fully either.

The previous explanation doesn't do it, really. The movement wouldn't be along an oblique line. But the explanation seems to be under the second definition of 'sheer' in my 2008 ed. of Chambers : "partly at least another spelling of shear". So, the clue is 2 definitions.

Meursault, it's not a double definition. It took me a while to see it. The answer is an anagram of SHAPE with an oblique line added to one of those letters, so the definition is intended as & lit, though it's not quite right to my mind, though a clever idea.

Just to elaborate, it doesn't really work as & lit because 'oblique line' serves the wordplay but not the definition given in Chambers (almost the opposite in fact). If it's a double definition along the lines you suggest it doesn't work either, because 'on oblique line' is not a satisfactory' definition for the alternative spelling of SHEER. 'Oblique line' on its own might pass, but then 'on' is unsatisfactory to link two definitions. I think this is one of those clues that doesn't stand up to close scrutiny, though I quite liked the basic approach.