Cryptic crossword No 1,826

Thanks Gumbo, that was a stretching challenge I had to address over a couple of sessions. I particularly admired and enjoyed 1a, 8a, 17a, 3d, 6d, 11d among others. Found the NW quadrant a tough one, with some tricky wordplay needing a fair bit of headscratching, but once I found a way in it all gradually fell into place. A couple of eyebrow twitches in reply, spoilers…

Well done, Gumbo. I was beaten by 5d where i did not recognise the device and 15d where I did not recognise the def. Some delightful clues in here: 9a is COTD but ticks also went to 7a, 14a, 24a, 25a (ha ha), 27a (ditto), 1d, 3d, 11d and 23d. Thanks. PM