Cryptic crossword No 398

Definite improvement on your previous effort - looks like you might have had someone run an eye over this first. Which is a good thing obviously. Lots to like although there were some pretty loose definitions - something I'm guilty of too. Liked 1a, 2d and 12a (good misdirection) particularly. I'm not fond of really long clues but that's a personal preference. Great progress though so well done and look forward to more puzzles

Thanks for a fun puzzle HairApparent! Like plumbwizard, I tended to prefer the snappier clues such as 7A (very well spotted), 12A, 18A, 23A, 6D and 21D. Spoilers in reply.

Thanks HairApparent, I found this tricky but ultimately satisfying. I had a similar experience to the other commenters with some of the definitions, but there are some lovely ideas here. In particular I liked 7a (when I eventually saw it!), 18a, 25a, 15d and 19d (carbon fibre is a nice spot).

Completed this with 17d not fully parsed but clear from your Annotations. I'd share plumbwizard/Coot's preference for shorter clues on the whole - though a couple of your long ones did tickle me - 1d and 25a. Other ticks for 7a, 12a, 23a, 3d, 6d, 19d, 21d. SPOILERS IN REPLY.