Cryptic crossword No 3,227

Hi Sisyphus, this was no 1a but several clever clues and a few tricky definitions required thought before the 16a moment. I particularly liked 7d for the misdirection, 6d, 18d and 9a. Cheers!

Thanks Sisyphus for an enjoyable crossword . This was probably my fastest solve of one of your puzzles; I missed 1d and couldn't parse 10a and 14a but all else slipped in smoothly. My top picks were 9a, 16a, 18a, 17d, and 18d. More in reply.