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Of course! I think the good luck reference blocked my thought process there.

Thanks

Hi CD,

The answer is the latter of what I was really surprised is a good luck symbol!

Sorry CD and Quisling, I meant "latter half" but I was way too slow anyway:-)

This puzzle feels like I've climbed Everest, only to find the Matterhorn stuck on top of it! And I haven't even completed the grid, 21d I just can't get, the migrating letters I have are no help as I feel one or more must be wrong, but I can't see how. So any tips on that one would be most gratefully received.

Hi Ptobes,

21d - 2 letter "mum" are a letter has escaped inside/'stops' 3 letter "sickening" (this puzzled me because I thought meant sickness rather than sickening) - definition is "calcified algae"

... my mistake, it's "sickening for" which is okay.

Thanks brendan, got it!

Before (if?) I begin on the endgame, can I get a few parses to put my weary mind at rest, I have the answers to them all but the wordplay eludes me ...

7a - Mineral of certain type, sort of any iodine (5)

I can see the definition and know where the escaped letter goes but not the rest.

34a - Dacosta, say, lacks European skill levels (3)

Again, I get the definition and know the escaped letter but can't find either the adjusted first word nor how it relates to the answer if I add back E(uropean).

28a - A hint of adult troubles is hairy palms (4)

By process of elimination I have this as one of the seven and have the answer from the definition and because all the letters are cross-checked but I just cannot see the wordplay.

Okay, I've just seen 7a so I've got that:-)

Actually, I'm not I have parsed 7a so I'll add it back to the list:-)