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@Rocky 4dn is a clever bit of misdirection. 14a is fairly well-known; certainly one of the ones in the grid I had heard of.

I'm completely stuck on 27d as the last one I need. I have the two crossers, but even so I can't make head or tails of the clue. Any hints?

For 27d think of a particular part of the face.

The first 2 letters are an abbreviation for a type of person whom Brendan is an example. The last 2 are from last letters.

I had never heard of 14a. I was stalled earlier, but found a way to get electronic help on that one and then managed to finish the rest. (I was on the wrong track with the currency - I was obsessed with Indian.)

Thanks both; I have it now. I'd even considered that combination of letters when I was playing around, but it's not a word I've ever heard of

I'm taking a breather. Still stuck on those two so might let the subconscious do the work.

Finished, with a lot of help from OneLook Dictionary. Regarding 15d, is this really "in his own language". I thought the expression here was a literal translation from the English, rather than how a Frenchman would express the idea.

david w: you are right that it’s a phrase that originated in England, not France. But it is nevertheless a phrase in the French language (in the sense that it is composed of French, not English, words) so I don’t see a problem with the clue.

What a lovely puzzle from Brendan. My favourite clue had to be 9ac. Two left, 10ac and 8d. I will return to see if inspiration strikes

Finally got my green tick though would never have got 14a without a lot of trial and error searching on Google. Finally nailed 4d too which was clever. Nobody said these things were meant to be easy. All in all a good puzzle because the wordplay always gave you a chance. COD 9a. What else for old times sake?

Need tips for:
2d) Must be ---IC
10a) Must be an obscure author. Does romantic mean Mills & Boon or the romantic era?