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Very strange crossword . I finished it before I knew I was near the end .Maybe because of the two long clues . Not a prize quality crossword IMO but worth a bash.

Hi Chrisxxxx,

It's funny you should say that as the exact same thing happened to me - I finally figured out the wordplay for 13d and then looked to see how many were left .... but I'd finished! The end really snuck up on me:-)

Brendan , good to know it was not just me .Was a first in 45 years of solving my beloved Gruaniad cryptics .

Fairly straightforward I thought. The long ones went in early which helped. Thanks for the earlier references, I wouldn’t have thought to look up that phrase otherwise.

Paul set a challenge yesterday to create an anagram from…

“Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb”

(The full title of the 1960s Stanley Kubrick film starring Peter Sellers)
I suspect that may take longer than today’s crossword and I’m not sure I enough Scrabble tiles!

24,16 was my FOI - a write-in (I also knew the derivation!)

I found some oddities. I haven't parsed 22a, assuming I have the right answer.
What does "shabby" contribute to 23a?
Why "spent" in 25a?
How does "mould" give the internal letters of 26a?

Hi Chris,

26a - "mould" as in 'template' gives 4 letters.

23a - "Shabby" formed part of the title of one of his works/sketches.

25a - I think "spent money" is the definition and is just there for the surface although I agree the clue would work without it.

22a - 2 letter "European character" + 4 letter "get lost".

I haven't parsed 22a either, but can't see what else it could be. Can anyone help? I think 'shabby' refers to the way the word is used - not just about 'him'. 'Spent' I took as no longer current. I also think 'mould' is quite far from the internal letters of 26a but I guess you can stretch it - in the 'breaking the mould' sort of way.

22a - two letter (Greek) character
23a - second definition Chambers - not just ‘of him’, but specifically squalid (shabby)
25a - archaic (well except for legal fees)
26a - four letter synonym in Chambers

Posts crossed - thanks for the hint for 22a.

thanks brendan. i did have 22 wrong.

sorry, i still don't see how letters 2,3,4, and 5 in 26 are a mould or template. perhaps i've got that one wrong too!