Yes! 1 is correct planman.
Doing well. All of the original 13 have bitten the dust and without any letters (except No. 1). Just 18, 22 and 24-26 of the second thirteen.
As someone who takes an hour to do it with letters, I’m impressed.
pan
Sorry, got busy with work, only managed the easy one:
21 Rock ‘n’ roller’s conservative footwear? (4,5,5)
Blue suede shoes
Even in Ireland, the crossword setters love the Dee and the Exe. the main species of fish in those rivers are the ling and the gar by the way;)
kabbes, my second list only goes up to 23 - I didn’t get 24, 25, 26 for some reason.
Is it just me, or did this happen to some of you other guys as well?
Er… no. There is no 24-26. That was just me being… cryptic. Yeah. That’s it.
So have these:
-
Drive off fast; it’s disgusting! (9)
-
Draw behind the second little darling (7)
No 26 though. That’s yer lot for today.
pan
I myself always fish for efts, when I’m not robbing ova from eyries.
Well, it worked … you sure whooshed me! 
And, as an aside, I’ve just got to say - is this thread a great little post-count-padder, or what?!
Hehehehe
Especially when avoiding CE on Sun in Ely.
24 Drive
repellent
Possibly if you have 116 posts. It doesn’t have much effect on 2100 though!
My hobby is reading the essays of Elia while listening to recordings of Ezio Pinza.
Whoo-hoo! 117!
Thanks for the clues, kabbes, some nice ones there. No. 24 is my fave.
I am going home for the night in a min, so I will put up the answers to 18, 22 and 25 for you.
Incidentally, you can all be on my cryptic crossword team any time. Hemlock too, even though I forgot to mention him above.
And I still don’t know what the ship answer is. I want it to be something to do with helm, but I’m pretty sure it isn’t.
- Look after my duck with graduate qualification (7)
diploma
- Compact, not like MENSA! [By no means a classic, this]
thickset
- Draw behind the second little darling (7) [kinda cute]
sweetie
Night night!
pan
Thanks a million Kabbes - if I get time tomorrow, I’ll post a sample from the Irish Times.
I’m also a bit sick because I got the answer to 18 but it didn’t seem to make sense (still doesn’t in fact).
Originally posted by MWAP
Took me a while, too - and I’m still not absolutely certain. But It seems to be something like:
look = lo
after
my duck = dip (if I duck down, I’m “dipping” - is that a Britishism?)
with a
graduate = M.A.
dip + lo + ma = qualification
The “leaders in control of ship” one is driving me nuts. I’ve tried a lot of things with “helm”, too.
You and kabbes are so close… you’re gonna groan when you get it
He put Irish union leaders in control of ship (6)
“Irish Union” leaders = I and U
in
“control of ship” = HELM
–> HELIUM (or the element “He”)
This thread’s moved on a fair way since I last checked it.
Anyway the answer to my crossword clue:
B (6-6)
begins with B-O ie the first word starts with a B and the second word starts with an O.
Indeed it was!!
Another one that “tickled my fancy” -
Correct way to support the Queen (6)
proper - as in “prop” = support & “ER” = the Queen