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Re. posting difficulties on the forum: I use Adblock Plus. If I post in a normal browser tab (Chrome or Bing) I get no popup ads and have no trouble posting.

But if I visit the forum in an Incognito (Chrome) or InPrivate (Bing) tab, Adblock doesn't seem to engage, the session is peppered with popups and I have great trouble posting. Attempted posts hang for a long time. Eventually a popup ad appears, and when I close that I finally get the captcha and post. It's no fun.

Grateful as ever for this forum for hints and pointing out that there is a theme which I would never have noticed for myself. Quite a fun crossword once I got going…

“Lit up” was an unusual anagrind for 15d (maybe a bit too hard?) and “skied” reversal in 22d doesn’t quite make sense to me.

For some reason 11d made me smile.

I’m at a bit of an impasse with 8a and 13a so looking for some help please. Nothing is coming to mind for any part of the 8a clue, and I can think of a word for “go through” that fits 13 but no idea how it is constructed.

Having a cosy indoor day while Storm Ingrid is blowing outside.

Hi FemmeNoire,
8a ‘on the counter’ is a reversal indicator.
13a ‘wingers’ refer to outside letters of words in the clue.

Well done Rocky for escaping from the weather in Exeter. It has rained all day. I'm also impressed that you've finished. Have a good trip to the Emirates.

I filled in the NW corner very quickly, but have struggled with the rest. I've now made some progress in South-east corner. I haven't spotted the theme, but then I rarely do. Is it 6d or 16d.

Some hints for 13ac and 14ac may encourage me. But I am losing the will to live.

I'll try a few more.

Theme is 16d.
13: definition "Go through". Parses as 4 "style" followed by 2, 2 (wingers or outside letters of 2 letters of the clue).

14 a definition "strip". Parses as C "clubs" inside an anagram of "forked".

Many thanks Geeker

I'd managed to get 13 ac from hints above, which left me wondering about 11d. What has Hazel O'Connor got to do with anything? Is it just because she is Irish, whoever she is.

Just seven to get. I'm having trouble typing on my new laptop. Keys are in different places!

11d is extremely tricky. "Hazel" is the definition!
It's the last letter of "O'Connor" inside a standard 3-letter word for "shirt".
Very nearly my COD'

Interesting, geeker. 11d was my least favourite clue. The definition was rather loose, and, more often that not, inaccurate.

geeker
Thanks for the comfort re 6d - it’s good to know that I’m in such good company, even though you clearly realised the mistake far more quickly than I did!