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Finally parsed 7 after taking a break! That concludes it. Thanks again to Puck.

Only got the parsing of 5ac by looking here, thanks! Would have been staring at it a very long time before seeing that.

11ac a new word for me but one I’ll be using again! Dahl-esque.

Struggling to parse 3d, I think I can see the last five letters (10 wearing new smalls ??), just can’t work out how underwear fits into it...

I think I may have to concede defeat on this one - 3 pairs of crossers unsolved (10a/7d, 25a/16d, and 26a/19d)

I've found 2 strange words for 20a and can't parse either. The only crossing difference would be the second letter in 19d, and I think the A fits the definition better - is that correct?

The intersection between 19d and 20ac is not “a”. 20ac is relatively complex parsing, take several words in the clue, remove Trump’s arse end and replace with Biden’s head then mix...

Actually quite a few of these political clues reminded me of Cyclops in Private Eye.

Morning all,

Yes my start was similar, 1a, 2d and quite a few others straight in on the first read through. Now I have a whole bunch still to solve sporadically across the grid so will continue to ponder.

Ashamed to say I have never heard of the actor (maybe too young??!), but I could guess his first name from the crossers and a quick google search lead me straight to him.

So far 23a would be by COD but hoping some of the others will surpass that when I crack them. I may be back for some hints later. Locked back down here in Wales so plenty of time to devote to the crossword!

Morning all,
Ah, the grid with 4 H’s. No.19 in the grid library if anyone’s interested. Famously used by Brendan in 23,923 and 24,449 - in each of which the H pattern is significant. Not so this time.

This was tricky. Seems I had a similar experience to others, getting off to a good start and then coming unstuck. Never heard of 26. 11 and 20 are great words but had to be looked up. Lots to like though, enjoyed 9, 14, 15, 18 and 25.

I still don’t have satisfactory parsings for 3, 7, 12 or 16. I’ll have to come back, I need a break!

richardK @14
That's interesting. If I'm on the right lines, the online source I found gave A 3rd letter, I 3rd from end as the tripe; E 3rd letter, A 3rd from end as the person speaking it.

Of course I might be on completely the wrong track!

Oh! I’ve just spotted the theme. Some of the actor’s most famous roles are referenced in other answers and in the clues. I won’t say any more. Check his Wiki page for hints...
Suddenly 26 makes sense

Hi jono
The little help I can give is with 12d. It's a sticky substance with the top moved down inside two words that together mean "must".

Thanks Chris! I see it now