… I’ll be off, then.

Apologies for the insensitivity – I hope it gets better for you soon.

In view of recent comments, as I said, I don’t mind ‘Auntie’ at all.

You’ve reminded me of my former students, of Indian origin, who would talk about their ‘cousin sister’.

Even more off-topic – you probably know this, too: in Denmark, grandparents are designated as ‘father’s father’ [Farfar] ‘father’s mother [ Farmor] ‘mother’s father’ [Morfar] and ‘mother’s mother’ [Mormor], Simple!

Whilst I’d generally agree with you that we are lucky to live in North Yorkshire, this is not the week to suggest it. The general view seems to be that “it’s grim up North”. We’ve had a stream of refugees unable to move to the countryside beyond York.

It is a shame that we don’t have the range of words that our Gujarati friends use for female friends and relatives. Father’s older sister, father’s younger sister, mother’s sister, father’s brother’s wife, etc. are all addressed differently and there is a general term used for female friends that implies respect. All are translated as “Auntie”. Perhaps you’d prefer to be called “Masi”?

Decades ago, when I heard ‘old ladies’ saying something similar to your last remark, I would think, ‘Silly old bat!’. Not any more

Lucky you, to live in North Yorkshire!

What a lovely post from Carrots, quite heartwarming really and we need some warmth in these cold times. Yes, I coundn’t quite get EL DORADO to work as an anagram but knew it was the correct answer. I didn’t see the importance of ’round’ which was clever.

Like Carrots, I spent most of my life in Lancashire (in and around Manchester) before moving to North Yorkshire. Strangely (or maybe not), we call our local taxi driver Auntie Val and she, in turn, calls my wife Auntie Di and so it’s certainly a term of endearment. You can probably guess what age bracket we are in but we won’t go into that. Despite my aged exterior, I’m only 22 really.

Bless you both! ‘Auntie’, on those terms, is fine by me [xx Carrots] – but, these days, for me, ‘Grandma’ seems more appropriate

Many thanks, everyone, as always, for the comments. I’m glad other solvers seem to have had problems, as I did, with 25dn. It threatened to have mathematical connnotations, which is why I was happy to leave it to others. It’s a pity that, for me, at least, none of the solutions seems wholly satisfying – but I’m sure that’s just me being dim.

I’d just love to know how many others, as I did took El DORADO at face value, without checking?

With thanks.

“Auntie” is a term of endearment, which I applied to all benevolent matriarchs in the “two-up/two down” houses in industrial East Lancashire where I was born….and lived until Art School transformed me into something of a wild child. (Which, alas, at sixty-something, I fear I still am). Your blogs and comments are always kind, warm and encouraging, which all of both my real and surrogate “Aunties” were. (i.e. they spoiled me rotten…and were wonderfully “cosy”).

I guess I`ve invented outrageous personas for a lot of 15sqd. contributors, almost without being aware of it, because I need something more than a pseudonym to (hopefully) entertain and spark with. If you don`t like being called “Auntie” I can always demote you to “The Duchess”, “The Dowager” or “The Lady E”! Just lemmeknow!

Incidentally, I don`t think anyone on 15sqd needs those little yellow space-hoppers to signal “no offence meant”, which should be taken “as read” on a site like this. As most contributors, to me, seem very well-read indeed, they offer only a sanitized apology for finely-honed comment. I use a kiss (XX) in personal correspondence, but would be roasted alive if I dared to use such a device on 15sqd!

I’m still struggling to come to terms with not being used to mean ‘remove the letter t from preceding/following word’. Stop the world, I need to get off!

I agree.

‘Fey’ for ‘irony’ sounds like rich pickings but after a desultory [I'm tired] trawl of the archives, I can’t find it. One of yours? – if so, congratulations. I really like this kind of clue!