Cryptic crossword No 1,734

Great stuff, thanks PostMark. Struggled a bit in the SW but all fell in nicely in the end. Could list most of the clues but for brevity's sake will limit to my absolute favourites, namely 11a, 12a, 15a, 24a (sneaky), 6d (don't remember seeing this before, great spot) and 19d.

Very good fare as usual PM - 15a was COTD but also plenty of enjoyment from 9a, 17a, 1d and 6d, to name but a few. A couple of spoilery observations below - thanks!

Nicely done PM, thanks - 9a, 3d, and 26a made my podium but I enjoyed it throughout.

A good workout there PM, so thanks (I think;) I particularly appreciated 4a, 9a, 10a, 13a, 26a, 6d, 8d, 18d among others. Reading through your explanations, all fair though some stretchier than others - some quite sneaky in wordplay to create very plausible surfaces, so much to admire there. I’m pleased to have finished it without having to resort to any reveals, so thanks again!

Thanks PM. Very nicely done as always. Again I found it pretty hard as some of your definitions are quite niche (but valid) with, for me at least, 29a, 3d especially hard. 4a, 13a, 15a, 18d made my podium. Spoiler...

Very nice PM, I ground to a halt halfway through but a trip round the garden centre was all the restorative I needed to put the rest to bed on my return. Some particularly indirect wordplay that resisted for a while, but well worth the tortuosity for the resultant smoothness of surfaces, and some fun defs throughout too. Favourites included 9a (lovely, great use of indicator), 10a (fun), 11a (very neat), 15a (likewise), 19a (likewise), 22a (tricky but cracking surface), 27a (very smooth)...

Fizzy and funny. 1a was a cracking way to start (I spent way too long looking for summat it wasn’t). Loved the wit in 10a, 11a, 17a and 25d, etc. 2d’s smart, 9a’s brilliantly disguised and 3d’s charming. Another snorter. Ta lots PM.

Thanks PostMark for a good crossword with 11a, 13a, 28a, and 21d among my favourites. I revealed 1a and 29a after staring at both for far too long.

I found this a little tougher than your average, PM, and the first pass yielded worryingly little! But a rest and a revisit helped me find the wavelength. As others have noted, smooth surfaces sometimes result in tricker cryptic constructions! But nothing was beyond the pale. Faves: 10a, 11a, 14a, 22a, 6d, 16d and 25d. Thanks!

Thanks PM, good stuff. Like others, I found this pretty tricky in places, notably 29a (which is very nicely done, I should've just looked up "vocabulary" in Chambers!) Other faves include 9a, 10a, 13a, 22a, 27a, 1d, 16d & 23d (mini-theme there?), 18d & 19d. Thanks again!

Very good, PM, thanks. Classic fare and pretty tough as others have said. I revealed the same two as Gennaro. I was nowhere close to getting 1a but I I think I would have got 29a had I not made a stupid mistake with 25d. Favourites: 9a, 10a, 15a, 29a (despite my abject failure), 1d, 16d and 25d (ditto).