Cryptic crossword No 3,553

9a went straight in, the counterpart stayed hidden almost to the end- as a delightful discovery to cap a very enjoyable solve. Today’s headliners: 6a, 19a, 22a, 23a, 1d, 4d, 21d. Thanks Gennaro for once again failing to disappoint!

Hi Gennaro. Really enjoyed this. Favourites include 19a (love the misdirection), 2d (for the surface), 1d and 4d (for excellent definitions).

I also got 9d right away, but the extra still eludes me, I'm horrible at spotting the more hidden ones. Some very twisty Lego clues which are always fun to solve. Faves include: 11a,13a,23a, 2d, 4d, 16d. Special mention to the left field-ness of 1d

Thanks Gennaro, that was just about on my level (I failed on 13a and 4d but both were very clever and fairly clued). Favourites included 1d (what a definition!), 11a, 23a (v neat), 26a (my name is Roy so I loved that surface) and 16d.

Very neat, Gennaro. Thanks for the entertainment! 19a and 23a favourites. And the lovely Nina which took a while to spot.

Delightful. I was happy to solve this (especially sans outer-edge help) without consulting a dictionary or thesaurus as I often do. A few things stood out for me...

Really nice puzzle, got 9a almost immediately, however, couldn't quite spot the counterpart (got there eventually!) Favs include 6a, 13a, 19a, 23a, 1d, 2d, 4, etc. (What you could take from this, it was all pretty much great)

Thank you for this Gennaro. 1d and 4d really had me thinking about the definitions, while 13a and 14a were beautifully formed

Fun as always though your nina escaped me. 19a, 1d and 20d make my podium. Thanks. PM