i Crossword 999 Quixote

So fixated was I on wondering what we might get for tomorrow’s puzzle number 1000, that I completely overlooked today’s being puzzle 999 – hence the answer for 10/11ac with 12, 13 and 14 giving us a mini theme. 

Pretty straightforward in the main, with a couple of new words including the answer to 23ac which, thanks to its colourful and apposite surface reading, gets my nomination for COD:

Hostile characters chucked bits of stone (7)

The original IOS blog is complete: http://www.fifteensquared.net/2009/04/09/independent-on-sunday-999-by-quixote-5-apr-2009/