Cryptic crossword No 1,188

Thanks Panthera, that was a tough workout! Some fabulous (and cleverly constructed) stuff here, my favourites being 11a, 12a, 21a, 24a, 3d, 23d, and my COTD 18d. Spoilers ...

Hahaha. Pretty difficult (for me) especially the top half. Fun stuff though; 18D made me chuckle.

Well this took me about four times as long as it takes for you to knock off one of mine which says something ... but I'm not sure what. A few defs that I could not interpret and some nho references or solutions. I liked 11a, 12a, 24a, 27a, 4d, 5d, 17d and 25d. Thanks. PM

Thanks, Panthera - as inventive, quirky and funny as always. Particularly liked 18a (the chutzpah of it amuses me), 21a (fiendishly clever!), 28a and 18d (lol)

Brilliantly inventive Panthera. Sometimes I realise after a while that a puzzle is way above my solving pay grade and have to simply read the notes and admire. After solving a few clues slowly, this was one of those occasions. Favourites: 15a, 18a, 21a and 3d.

A toughie for me, with lots of intermittent unsure checking and a couple of reveals at the very end — but all very entertaining! I think you win some sort of audacity award for a couple of clues mentioned by others already 😁 some went in unparsed with a shrug and reading your notes you definitely have a knack for the less-than-obvious synonym. Spoilery comment follows —>