Cryptic crossword No 3,956

Challenging but great fun. Some wonderfully idiosyncratic surfaces and some cracking clues eg 16a, 5d, 7d, 18d, 20d. And a delight to see Class 2B putting in an appearance. I'm not sure, for my taste at any rate, that 13a, 11d and 22d quite work – BUT in each case it’s the product of you trying to be creative rather than giving us paint-by-numbers, so fair play to you! Purists might also query the use of “for” in 23a. Thanks.

Most went in quickly but was defeated by 16a (It didn't dawn on me!) and 1d even though I had most of the crossers. I guessed lots without fully parsing e.g. 2d, 10a, 21a and 22d and liked lots too, e.g. 1a, 17a, 5d, 20d, 18a, 15d and 18d. NHO of 4d but it was clearly clued. I also wasn't aware of 'Ramsey' which threw we for a while. I didn't get the definition in 13a. Thanks again Sisyphus.

Very neat addition to your recent "series" with some typically clever surfaces and wordplay. Faves include 8a,9a (NHO but so well clued i only needed to look it up later),17a,2d,5d

Some of the crossword-based direct clues eluded me, which is my blindspot, but some excellent clues, especially 19A and 23A. Thanks Sisyphus!

Thanks,Sisyphus, quite tricky for me but I got about 3/4 of it in the end. Loved 8a, 10a, 18a, 18d (COTD - absolutely superb!).

Thanks Sisyphus, this went surprisingly smoothly, a few guesses without parsing and a couple of NHO's which were clearly clued, faves include 14a 😊16a, 17a, 7d and 18d cheers 🕷️

Thanks Sisyphus. A pretty smooth solve once I found your wavelength. Nice shoutout to the great man in 1d, and a chef’s kiss for 16a.

Hi Sisyphus. This was good fun to round out the week. Probably my quickest solve of one of yours and loved the surfaces with 16a the best of a good bunch. Also a big fan of 9a, 18a (quite the throwback), 14a and 15d.

♥️ A heartwarming turn at the end of a tough day - thanks Sisyphus : )

Thanks Sisyphus. I found this rough sledding at times and I eventually revealed 1d and 11d and couldn't parse 16a and 22d. I nho 18a and 3d but figured them out somehow. Still, there were enjoyable nuggets for me including 1a (rare that I like that device!), 17a, 23a, 15d, and 20d. More in reply

Thanks Sisyphus- that was a good solve. Faves 10a, 17a, 18a, and 17d. Wasn't quite convinced by 11d, or 22d, where I think you were stuck with impossible letters in the grid! Nicely done thought.