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I did return after some distractions and have done about half. I've now read through the thread and may get some more from the hints. But I'm not that hopeful. I shall stop for dinner soon (my husband cooks on Saturdays). But Vlad is extremely hard. If I had to Rank him (not the answer to 8d),he'd be off the bottom of my scale. I haven't touched the NW corner yet.

Hi Roof. Been a beautiful day today so no harm making the most of it. I think you should revist post dinner or while your husband is cooking. I find Vlad really difficult but somehow more fulfilling when you beat him.

Hi Roof
1a and 2d were write-ins for me......but the rest wasn't!

I'm like plutocrat @ 11 - impaled. Struggled for hours for 9 answers.

Way out of my league.

It's not Philo.

Keep going. You'll get the gist of all of them eventually and most of all just ask for a few hints here. That's all I do when I get stuck.

Hi Rocky

I got answers for them all, but cheated on a few . I can't fully parse 5a,10ac, 11ac, 12ac, 27ac,3d, 3d, 8d, 20d and 25d (never heard of). Please don't explain them - there are too many.

Most of them I can partially parse. Usually, I get the definition and then try and work out the parsing.

FOI 23ac, LOI 12ac and COD 26ac and 19ac.

Please no more Vlad or Brockwell for a few weeks.

For what it’s worth at this late stage, I agree with quisling re Hackney. There would have had to be more in the clue to indicate the niche street, whereas the animal fits the description without more.

Thanks RogerM. I’m a stickler when it comes to parsing, but I’ve belatedly realised that this thread has more of a clubby feel, so I shouldn’t have intruded. I won’t do it again!

I don't think you should apologise. Discussions about different parsing etc. are what keep us going on here. And for what it's worth I think you are right too.

Duplicate thread by Wulimaster

Just finished! Really tough but somehow doable. COD, definitely 26 for reminding me that my kids were once little. 23 provided new knowledge which I hope now pops up in a quiz and 21 for taking the proverbial.