Well, this was a surprise – Eccles on a Thursday!
The usual Eccles fun despite it not being the usual Wednesday offering.
G (German) RUMPY (sex)
ROWED (argued) after RUB (massage) reversed or ‘back’
RED (left-wing) ACT (piece of legislation)
JOT (make quick note) ‘about’ S (small) + LING (fish)
Sounds like (‘announced’) HARRY STYLES (One Direction singer) when spoken by a Cockney, renowned for dropping the aitch
BEN (mountain) T (last letter or ‘end’ of equipment)
A reversal (‘revolutionary’) of PURE (clean) + T (last letter of environment)
SHINES (stands out) in P (last or ‘ultimate’ letter in Trump) US (American)
WALES with the last letter brought to the front or ‘cycling’ + ALED (Welshman) also ‘cycling’ – the last letter brought to the front
hEATINg (getting hot) missing first and last letters or ‘taking clothes off’
IS AY (for ever)
HEARD (was informed) about A V (very) and an anagram (‘strange’) of NEW
An anagram (‘novel’) of IDEA round an anagram (‘suffering’) of SUNG
J (judge) OVAL (rounded figure) around I (middle or ‘essential’ letter of waist)
HIT (affected by) HER (woman’s) TOp missing last letter or ‘short’
REEDY (piping) round or ‘blocking’ M (first letter or ‘bit’ of muck)
A reversal (‘reflecting’) of EG (say) A BRAG (card game)
plUNDER (booty) without or ‘shaking’ ‘pl’ (place)
P (pressure) on ACE (wonderful) SETTER (compiler)
An anagram (surprisingly) of USE ENVELOPES
fRITZ (German) missing first letter or ‘going topless’
An anagram (‘cook’) of TEA WITH ME
DO (party) GATES (Bill perhaps)
An anagram (‘partying’) of LETS PANDEMIC
An anagram (‘drunk’) of OENOPHILE around or ‘drinking’ G (gallons)
UP (excited) AGAIN (once more) and first letters or ‘starts’ to Send Texts
Hidden (‘cased’) in criSP IN A CHeesy
NOD (give assent to) ALLY (colleague)
A L (large) ICE (diamond) – Alice in Wonderland
Hidden (‘coats’) in makES NEw
Have seen esne the slave, hitherto unknown, somewhere just recently. Other dnks were those tiles (the singer a faint bell, his group not), and Swaledale which I cqba working out. Eccles is good at surface narratives, those for heavenward and up one’s sleeve were faves. Ta E and BnJ.
Re 23d, the book’s original title is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which makes the definition a little clearer.
Happy to meet Eccles on any day of the week; thanks to him and to B&J.
Supremely enjoyable as always from this setter, with super-smooth surfaces the icing on the cake. 1a made a brilliant start and the fun carried on from there.
My only NHOs today were ESNE and SWALEDALE but both were very fairly clued.
Many thanks to Eccles and to B&J.