Cryptic crossword No 496

Thanks Cheeseman. Another nice puzzle. Quite a few longer clues than before - I'm not sure I unravelled them all. Did you mean to attach Annotations? They'd be helpful. I liked 5a, 12a, 23a, 24a, 3d, 4d, 8d/27a, 25d. Spoilers in Reply

Thanks Cheeseman - I completely flubbed 5A, but this was enjoyable, if quite chewy in places. Having seen the annotations I think they've cleared things up for me, but spoilers in reply

Thank you Amoeba and Postmark for your very useful comments. As a novice at this lark, I find it difficult to tell if my clues are easy or hard. I was half expecting people to say it was a write-in. As regards 18d, it's interesting that Postmark thinks the cryptic definition is insufficient, while Amoeba thinks it could stand alone.

There's a mini theme (I never spot them) revealed in the reply.

Thanks Cheeseman. Certainly not a write-in for me - I found it very tricky in fact, particularly the bottom half. I think the length of many of the clues contributed to that. But loads to like, particularly 12A, 13A, 16A, 3D and 25D.

Hmm! Ever so 'umble and more than willing to fess up, I'm making a fresh entry to revise my opinion of 18d. Yep, great clue. I am utterly guilty of having not freed up the mind sufficiently to appreciate the alternative meaning of the key word. Mea culpa. Sackcloth. Ashes. Etc. I take it all back, Cheeseman, except maybe the fact that Amoeba can be wrong. Apologies for doubting. Bung 18d onto the podium! I can't give another uptick but would if I could 😂

Well, this was delightful. Two which I didn't get - 1a and 20d - the annotated solutions show were perfectly sound but just a bit too clever for me. And 17a, 26a, 28a 29a and 9d were especially good, too; but I don't think there's really a dud clue in there. Mild spoilery quibble in reply