Cryptic crossword No 221

Brilliant stuff! 2d and 17a/19a are works of genius.

Lovely stuff Quince, thanks. Mostly a fairly friendly level of difficulty but with a few chewier elements. Particularly liked 6A (obvious but pleasing), 2D (great definition) and 7D (well constructed surface). I greatly admire 17A 19A but can’t decide if it fully works. Also not totally convinced by the synonyms used in the construction of 9A (see reply) although the answer was clear enough.

Well done, Quince. Some of these clues are wonderful. 18d is so good I feel it must have been done before - I mean that as a compliment not an accusation of plagiarism - it’s just such a great surface with an elegant construction. I also love 7d.

Nice one. Love 1a particularly. 2d LOI. 17/19a 😂

Really enjoyed this - challenging but not too obscure. Loved 1A and 26A when I finally got it, and found the whole thing generally well clued.

Nice one, Quince, much to enjoy here. 6a is lovely - simple but nicely done. 17a/19a is fun - I like it though I didn’t get ‘battery’ until I read the notes… doh!

What Magnolia and Conto said. I really liked 9a, 23a, 24a, 26a, 2d, 14d and 18d; and having had the explanations, I think 1a and 17/19 are quite brilliant. Very minor point - 22d is, I think, ambiguous and you need to get one of the crossers, but that’s hardly a criticism of a magnificent piece of work.

Some lovely stuff in this :-)

17a/19a... megalolz!!!

Very nice! Was dubious about 17 19 until I read your explanation. Now I really like it. Loved the elegant simplicity of MISO. Excellent definition and surface for NIRVANA.