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actonhighstreet

10th January 2026, 22:17
I'm 48 and I remember using 1d (or it's first three letters) to mean excellent a very long time ago, I'm not sure any of my younger relatives would do so anymore but I did enjoy the clue.

Re: 10d, I think there's a more benign and less offensive interpretation of the clue than some have mentioned but it's quite difficult to explain it without giving spoilers!
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amaturestick

11th January 2026, 02:13
Oh dear, I'll have to check with the grandkids. :(
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rogerm

11th January 2026, 13:16
actonhighstreet
I guess that by ‘the younger people’ I meant your age. It’s all (very) relative!
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roof

11th January 2026, 15:52
Well I'm back after my visit to the cinema yesterday to see Hamnet. I managed to do a few more yesterday evening before exhaustion set in. I've done much of the top half, though can't parse them all. I was always the red car in Monopoly but couldn't remember the names of all the tokens, but Google helped there. I haven't got 7d and am not sure of my answer to 10d as I can't parse it.

Some hints may open up the bottom half for me. What about 23ac? Is 26ac a self-help guru? What about 22d?

My daughter has been here, but when she has gone, I will reapply my energy
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jono

11th January 2026, 16:11
Hi Roof,
23a parses 1,5,1. The word in the middle is something used for painting rather than an actual painter. There’s a discussion earlier in the thread. It’s a place in India.

26a yes; if you are like me you may not have heard of him but will almost certainly recognise the name of his most famous book, written some time ago.

22d parses 4,1 when read from bottom up. “System cleaner?” is one of Paul’s cheeky definitions.

Hope that helps!
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roof

11th January 2026, 19:56
Many thanks Jono

I actually finished the crossword. I was distracted by the arrival of my new laptop (with Windows 11) yesterday. My daughter helped me with its set-up today, though I have still to organise the transfer of all the contents of my old one, including all the important links like the crossword forum.

I got all the answers apart from one - 19ac which I'd looked up on DanWord. I couldn't get to my laptop at the time to see if I'd had any responses. There are, as ever, some I cannot parse, including parts of 19ac. Others include13ac, 26ac (which took me ages as I'd made a mistake with 18d, 3d, 10d and 18d. I did not know the word for a young sheep. Don't bother to explain them. I'm moving on now.

I always enjoy a Paul crossword as I usually find I'm on his wavelength so I'm glad I persisted. I can't remember my FOI it was so long ago. It may have been 14ac. My LOI was 19d. CODs were 7d, 25ac, 17d amongst many.
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griffin

12th January 2026, 12:05
I have finished but I can't parse either 19ac or 19dn.
Any clues?
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chrise

12th January 2026, 12:16
Hi Griffin
Read 19a backwards
19d involves a word for a year-old sheep that I didn't know. The specific (not geneeric) artist turns up fairly often
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griffin

12th January 2026, 12:25
Thanks Chrise
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judyg

13th January 2026, 13:26
Cant parse fully 5d - any tips plse
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