Cryptic crossword No 265

Thanks to all involved - credits can be found in the annotated solutions.

Wahey!!! Nice one. Have a great Christmas and New Year, you lovely people.

Lovely stuff! Well done everyone and especially Raider for organising this and a super grid. Happy Christmas!

Well done everyone involved in this. Looking forward to solving it later

Thank you Raider. And thanks to everyone who contributed to a fine set of seasonal offerings. Merry Christmas everyone!

Thanks for organising this Raider, looking forward to solving with a glass of wine this evening. Merry Christmas everyone!

Learned something with 21d. Particularly enjoyed 13a, 24a, 26a, 31a, 3d. Thanks to Raider both for organising and for the invitation, and to everyone who contributed. Two more upvotes before this overtakes Raider’s magnum opus No 128 as the most upvoted puzzle 🥳

This is superb - great work, everyone. Especially impressed with it being such a well balanced mix of clues. Standard very high all round but standouts for me were 10a, 11a, 13a, 15a, 24a, 26a, 31a, 4d, 18d, 25d

So many great clues. If I have to pick favourites, they would be 2d, 18d, 13a, 12a, 24a, 20d, 9d & 31a. Many thanks and hope you all had a great Christmas.

I have to single out the opening four clues (I couldn't solve 11a at first but was thrilled someone had come up with such a clue). Lots of gems throughout the rest too, especially the Christmas ones although I also enjoyed the far from wholesome image in 20d. I also thought 12a and 25d were great clues once I belatedly solved them. Meet back here for Valentine's Day?

Loved this. Thanks so much everyone. Particularly enjoyed the clues that managed to include a nod to Christmas. Cheers