Cryptic crossword No 2,277

Excellent puzzle, Meles. Well worth the wait since the beginning of the year. Some delightful surfaces throughout and, on the whole, very succinct cluing. A couple of 'to's' as link words which are not my fave but that's a personal thing. Other than that, no complaints at all. Ticks in particular for 9a, 11a, 16a, 26a (despite the into!), 2d (perhaps without a full stop somehow?), 5d, 17d and 23d. Thanks. PM

Thanks Meles for an excellent crossword with my favs being 26a, 30a, 5d, 7d, 17d, and 24d. I revealed 6d & needed your notes to understand the clever 9a & 2d. Nice work!

Lovely stuff Meles, thanks. Lots of great clues. I needed a bit of help over the line, particularly in the NE, but nothing to grumble about. Favourites: 11a, 14a, 27a, 30a, 2d and 5d.

That was really rather good Meles, thanks for an entertaining solve. Tons to enjoy across the board with smooth surfaces and satisfying wordplay, particularly 8a (a bit of both), 11a (nice trick and misdirection), 12a (smooth), 14a (very neat), 26a (smooth), 27a (nice def), 30a (very smooth), 2d (intriguing and inventive), 3d (very neat), 5d (likewise), 7d (smooth), 17d (nicely done) and 23d (very neat) - lovely stuff

A lot of fun with great surfaces and misdirection. Favourites were 9a, 16a, 21a . Thanks