17a, 2words,4.4. E???g?e?, Noble leaves much to be desired?.
18d, 7lets, ????i?e, Kind of music newspaper issue sent up.
21d, 6lets, ?????m, Wrongly blamed for mayhem.
20d, 7lets, R?????t, Talk informally over wine, producing affinity.
22a, 2words, 5.6. S???t ?n???n, The Guinness drunk without prior inspection.
23a, 3lets, ??a, Pulse from athlete's first taken after workout.
26a, 7lets, ??m???n, Ridicule a person in seat - fool around.