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Teenieleek, I didn't say that all the that all the answers involved anagrams, I was merely referring to the solution for 26ac, trying to be helpful. I know how all the clues work as I've finished the puzzle.

I am also assuming that when you apply 22, 23 you do not necessarily preserve the letter count between the original unmodified definition and the answer to be entered in the grid.

For 26, it did have the same letter count, but just checking that is coincidence ...

No, the letter count is the same in all cases, as in 26.

The letter count before and after modification is the same for all the themed clues

Got there after some hours ... to say that the replacements in 7 and 13 are obscure is litotes understated. Also, the original bit of 15 is pretty flimsy if I understand it aright. And, according to my research, the originals of 20 and 26 are actually different names for the same place ...

All finished earlier but I'm assuming that the original first word in 13 starts with an 'F'? That's the problem with this sort of puzzle..... in this instance there's no actual confirmation of the original word. There are several possibilities of which the 'F' word (no, not that one) is the most likely.

Yes - as I have it, the same sort of 23 as 7

Indeed

"That's the problem with this sort of puzzle..... in this instance there's no actual confirmation of the original word"

Not only that, but you can complete the grid and be ignorant of the intended original solution. For example on 9, I had the intersecting clues filled in and assuming the answer to be entered in the grid would be C + a word that meant drink and also meant 22 it seemed obvious what to write in. I still have no idea what the original answer is before modification.

I had the same problem once finished, Boson - but have worked out it's almost certainly what you'd find at the 23 in 20 ... and I've now realised that, though next door to each other, 20 and 26 are different sorts of 23s.