Very enjoyable puzzle that I solved anti-clockwise from NW corner to NE corner. Not sure what overseas solvers will make of the bonbons which I sense are very UK centric and are named after the inventors of the machines that used to be used to wrap them. A visit to the Cadbury factory is an interesting trip that I knew would stand me in good stead some day. Throw in an old knight, a jazz master, a composer, two film stars and Franz Beckenbauer for an eclectic selection.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | MECCA - producer of many a record=DECCA then chande D=day to M=millions; the focus of the hadj; |
| 5 | AIRSHIP - AIRS-HIP; spreads=AIRS; with it=HIP; Hindenberg perhaps; |
| 10 | ALTITUDE - (detail)* surrounds TU; about=anagrind; |
| 11 | STUNS'LS - STUNS-(riva)LS; stunsails; |
| 12 | DAVIS - DA(VI)S(h); reference Miles Davis 1926-1991 jazz master; |
| 13 | CRAGFAST - C-RAG-FAST; constant=C=speed of light; absitinence=FAST; stone=RAG-3; stuck up a mountain; |
| 15 | LIBERO - LO surrounds (birdie - i'd)*; football sweeper in Salerno; |
| 17 | ALLYL - hidden (politic)ALLY-L(eft-leaning); chemical radical; |
| 18 | SOSATIE - SO-SATIE; Erik Satie 166-1925 French composer; meat barbequed in Bloemfontein; |
| 19 | NAINSEL - LEAN reversed surrounds INS=insurance; Highland speak for oneself; |
| 22 | TRIST - TRIST(ram); memory=ram; medieval knight=Tristram; old word for sad; |
| 27 | TROCHE - (hector)*; a tablet; |
| 28 | MUSTACHE - MUST-ACHE; has to =MUST; Charlie=US term for a moustache (after Chaplin); |
| 29 | DROOL - LORD reversed surrounds O=nothing; |
| 30 | VEXILLA - VEX-ILL-A; Roman standards; |
| 31 | AMPULLAE - A-M(PULL)AE; American=A; West=MAE West 1893-1980; travel bottles; |
| 32 | HEARSED - sounds like "hurst"; |
| 33 | XYRIS - XY-SIR reversed; axes=base lines of a graph; plants; |
| Down | |
| 1 | MASALA - ALAS-A-M reversed; rather sweet curry; |
| 2 | ENTAIL - E-(latin)*; old word for fashion; |
| 3 | CRUMBLIES - CRUMB(LIE)S; my!=CRUMBS! very derogatory term for old folk; |
| 4 | CONVEY - CO(N)VEY; small party of people=COVEY; |
| 5 | ALL,ROSES - ALL-ROSES; reference Cadbury ROSES chocolates, named after Rose brothers; |
| 6 | RIDGES - (b)RIDGES; |
| 7 | STAFFA - STAFF-A; |
| 8 | IDIST - ID-IS-T; Idaho-ID; type of square=T; someone who speaks Ido, an offshoot of Esperanto; |
| 9 | PESTLE - two meanings 1=pound 2=joint of meat; |
| 14 | ARTICULAR - (p)ARTICULAR; |
| 16 | JOLTHEAD - JOLT-HE(A)D; jar=JOLT; accepted=HAD; |
| 19 | NUMDAH - NUM-DAH; dash=DAH (Morse Code); felt rug; |
| 20 | NOTOUR - NOT-(f)OUR; polled=NOT-2; well known in West Lothian; |
| 21 | SMALLS - (mass)* contains LL=lines; bloomers=granny's knickers; |
| 23 | ROSILY - sounds like "Rosy Lee", rhyming slang for tea; |
| 24 | SHALLI - IS reversed surounds HALL; silk fabric; |
| 25 | TERAIS - (gaiters - g)*; felt hats; |
| 26 | TURME - TUR(n)-ME(n); old word for troop; |