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I agree with Chrise @23 - too irritating to be enjoyable.

Finished at last thanks to help from Brendan
FOI 6d LOI 24d COD 11a also 9a 22d 5d

I found this a delightful puzzle with so many clever thematic clues. Finished earlier than usual: just used CrosswordSolver once on penultimate clue, 23d, which then led to LOI 24d over which we'd been puzzling without spotting the should-have-been-obvious wordplay!

Was puzzled by 5d, trying to fit an anagram involving "seek" but decided it was just two definitions.

FOI: 25a
LOI: 24d
COD: 12a for a brilliant anagram, or 20 for a clever plain definition which didn't look like one!

Thanks Birder, much appreciated.

Incidentally, my COD was the so far unmentioned 1d - loved the "become rigid, leading to grouse" part:-)

Brendan, my COD was 9a. Your 1d was on my list of contenders.
I thought there were many clues that were complex, fun to parse but fell slightly short from an aesthetic point of view.

I know what you mean Geeker, and I am a sucker for silky smooth surfaces in a clue , as in 9a, and they are usually my CODs so 1d was something of an outlier for me but I just love the idea of how it's evolved to become completely rigid when needed.

Hi, all. I’m enjoying this but finding it hard going.

I’ve nothing in the NE corner at all, and am stuck on the apparently crucial 12A

Any (more) hints welcome

Thanks

12a is an anagram

I enjoyed this one very much. I liked the confirmation that 12a is an inclusive term.

I found 20 difficult because US usage omits the final 3 letters of the first word.