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EPISTLE and PIFFLE have also been clued more than once using it, you can see why.

…and EPILEPTIC.

Tramp clued this wonderfully by making the first three letters of the answer a perfect synonym for "for", meaning that if you didn't know that word for "mansion", and let's face it, it's not once you can work out, you either know it or you don't, you really would be left scratching your head 😟

Brendan, I've seen that word for "mansion" a number of times in my cryptic experience so it's not exceptionally rare. Thanks to jono for research, because I couldn't recall anything in the Prize category.

That said, 18 was my COD because its misdirection had me confused. Penny didn't drop until the grid was nearly full.

Aside from the “at” issue, an enjoyable puzzle which, after a slow start, fell into place nicely. COD, probably 21D simply for the juxtaposition of cold and BB.

Brendan: That works for me re 19a, but how does 20d parse? If "the last couple" tells us to "re-order" the second and third letters where does the first letter come from? If it's a 3 letter anag, what's the role of "last couple"? If it's to point to the last letter of "couple", the "pure" doesn't work.
Help.

quocunque
I just took it to mean "leave the first letter where it is, swap the second and third". Unusual, perhaps, but valid?

chris, that's how I parsed 20 after long deliberation. The solution seemed fairly obvious, but I couldn't see a satisfactory parsing until long after the grid was filled.

Hi Rocky, hope you enjoyed the game. Just wondering why you didn't go for 4 as your COD? Definitely mine COYG.

Teeweens. See my first post before I'd finished. I had picked it then but conceeded that there were ultimately much better clues.

On my way home now after a satisfying day all round. Likewise for Brendan I'm sure.