A cryptic crossword again this week. If you prefer to work on the interactive version or print a pdf of the crossword, click on this LINK.

Across

 1  Nomadic Arabs have time to sprinkle with fine particles of earth (6)

 6  North-eastern UK city’s short horned cow? (6)

10 Exclamation of dismay oddly echoed in Chagar Bazar (5)

11  Drink made from orange, (chopping out the middle) plus a hint of tamarind (6)

12  How a lot twig incorrectly and resort to litigation in opposition (2,2,3,4)

14  Tree’s unhealthy, regularly rippled (6)

15  Letter from Rhodes (3)

17  Make a final desperate attempt to merge following means of access (2-2-3)

19  Involving hard labout and misusing my tools (7)

21  Monetary unit – the French first unit (5)

23  Exceptionally bad, not primarily legal … (5)

25  … redrawing (no artist) a US bird (7)

28  Dwarf planet unusually lit up with ordinary dimension (7)

31  Potato store to use selfishly (3)

32  To introduce pathogens into insect with frequency for studies to start with (6)

33  Unusually pee conceals milky iridescence (11)

34  Stone surrounding slab of clay for engraving tool (6)

35  Gran’s taking in American types of bread (5)

36  A Spanish noble, first class Lord … (6) 37  … and French flashy men once returning sweet smelling spice (6)

Down

 1  Tabla is exceptionally a type of bow (7)

 2  Large horned bird, bird of prey and night bird (5-3)

 3  Curiously once wrapping attractive female in bit of rag, no, quite the reverse (6)

 4  Fashioned for Spenser a workplace (English) (5)

 5  Appallingly looted Spanish city! (6)

 6  Athenian lawmaker a veritable dragon! (5)

 7  Kiwi honeysuckle, wear freakishly and the same again! (8)

 8  Hot air to finish way coiffure is styled (6)

 9  Redesigned a home for Kiwi tree (5)

13  Wrap a chain round open tract of country enclosing stock essentially (5)

16  Simple protein involved in gullet (8)

18  Simple-minded nit, confused about twisted sex-offender (8)

20  Disappear in singular bounding run (5)

22  Exceptionally, see, I got to talk about number one! (7)

24  Hot, smoky state at opening, originally, in the manner of a musical composition (6)

26  Formal proclamations of unorthodox CID set (6)

27  Ice cap curiously producing plant used as emetic (6)

28  Wrongly poach seal (5)

29  Immigrants from Japan ship east between islands initially (5)

30 Once concerning contents of panentheism (5)

Here is last week’s solution:

If you prefer to work on the interactive version, click on this LINK that will take you to the Crossword Compiler website.

Across

    7  The king of the fairies, and husband of Titania or Queen Mab (6)

    8  A town in northwestern New Mexico near the Arizona border (6)

    9  A secret society of white Southerners in the United States (4)

  10  The largest city and former capital of Turkey (8)

  11  Roman historian who wrote major works on the history of the Roman Empire (56-120) (7)

  13  A person who makes deceitful pretences (5)

  15  An adherent of an esoteric monotheistic religious sect living in the relative security of the mountains of Syria and Lebanon who believes that Al-hakim was an incarnation of God (5)

  17  36th President of the United States; was elected vice president and succeeded Kennedy when Kennedy was assassinated (1908-1973) (7)

  20  Italian violinist and composer of music for the violin (1782-1840) (8)

  21  Roman Emperor notorious for his monstrous vice and fantastic luxury (4)

  23  A carpet woven on a Jacquard loom with loops like a Brussels carpet but having the loops cut to form a close velvety pile (6)

  24  A province of the Roman Empire comprising roughly Grisons and Tyrol, to which Vindelicia was added (6)

Down

    1  Norwegian mathematician (1802-1829) (4)

    2  A sultanate in northwestern Borneo; became independent of Great Britain in 1984 (6)

    3  A leeward island that gained independence within the Commonwealth in 1981 (7)

    4  A small South American rodent related to the guinea pig (5)

    5  Groups of genetically identical cells or organisms derived from a single cell or individual by some kind of asexual reproduction (6)

    6  A South American rodent of mole-like habits (8)

  12  An arm of the Mediterranean between Slovenia and Croatia and Montenegro and Albania on the east and Italy on the west (8)

  14  French author of sophisticated comedies (1622-1673) (7)

  16  An ancient Greek city famous for military prowess; the dominant city of the Peloponnesus prior to the 4th century BC (6)

  18  A port city in western France on the Loire estuary (6)

  19  (Roman mythology) virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; counterpart of Greek Artemis (5)

  22  Journey in Scotland (4)

Here is last week’s solution:

The solution to this cryptic crossword is entirely in French but you don’t need a word of French to solve it. Every word (except a couple of proper nouns) appears both in Hachette and in The Chambers Dictionary. It was jointly set by Artix and Chalicea – both live on the outskirts of Geneva and use French and English Daily. Click on this link if you wish to work on the interactive version or download a pdf of the crossword. That will take you to the Crossword Compiler web page.

Across

 1  Considération de spectre en travesti (7)

 5  Common tart’s chambre? (5)

 9  Général romain réforme cor-anglais (sans new section) (8)

 10  Très sec and grossly sensual, finally not English! (4)

 11  Terrine on top of tête (4)

 13  Posh recap revisé dans résumé (6)

 14  Transport utilisé au retour du marché (4)

 17  Rapide opération d’attaque de dieu avec identité (4)

 18  Vieux verse from the east for déscendant du Prophète (4)

 20  Musique populaire et offences morales pour les fruits du wrath? (7)

 21  Clean old WC avec dernier de germicide (4)

 22  Films les cartes No 1 circling state (8)

 24  Drôle outsider avec changement de direction dans l’état du coureur à longue distance (8)

 27  De retour it’s a vin blanc italien (4)

 29  Crushes and squeezes water from fruits the French eat sans fin avant (7)

 31  Pour boire à 4h pour petit Charles? (4)

 32  Tissu, perse coupée mal (4)

 34  Club des chauffeurs initially entered dans 24 Heures du Mans perhaps (4)

 36  Face decline in French life (6)

 38 Bizarre curé est beige blanchi (4)

 39 Aluminium avec un sel chimique pour un Welshman (4)

 40  Grand terrier anglais, first class leader running wild (8)

 41  Earls ruinés pour un appareil qui produit un rayon de lumière (5)

 42  Pipes in criminal Sûreté with yard involved (7)

Down

 1  Soldatesque morning call for bad apple following rule (6)

2  English fille est semblable (pour Shakespeare) (4)

3  Roche dans capitale d’État aux USA (6)

4  Dépression du petit officier supérieur (3)

5  Daddy’s two-step on-dit (4)

6  Image pour orchestre de Débussy de l’Espagne et le Portugal (6)

7  Quixotic hésitation et déclamation après (6)

 8  Étranges English duets, exercices musicaux (6)

12  Maigre shoal (3)

15  Imperfection dans ma clue cryptique (6)

16  Délire confus pour chansons de Schubert (6)

19  Cinema-organ cache un communiste (3)

23  Lettre grecque signifiant les séparatistes basques (3)

24  Animal africain dans almost dry valley (6)

25  Slip the French capricieux chat familier (6)

26  Crazy, inane avec très peu de sens et sans raison (6)

27  Arrive accompanied by fille-de-joie essentiellement (6)

28  Gay Suisse comes out (6)

30  Bag French PLC next to centre du lycée (3)

33  Gelée par retour de musique emotionelle hindou? (4)

35  The French chasing gold bordure (4)

37  Vigneron’s output is unrefined, 40% perdu (3)

Here is last week’s solution:

General knowledge again this week. If you prefer to work on the interactive version or print a pdf of the crossword, click on this LINK, that will take you to the Crossword Compiler website.

Here is last week’s solution (the 13s were famous Coopers):

Should you wish to work on the interactive version, click on this LINK that will take you to the Crossword Compiler website.

Six solutions (one of two words) are 13s. There is no word play in those clues.

Across

 1  By a whit, regularly producing 100 satangs (4)

3  Chinese game of mum, with John, dancing on a child’s horse (3-5)

9  Scottish mountain with those trimmed flora of the sea bottom (7)

10  Spoil old recipe for bitter herb dish (5)

11  Strangely, in any efforts, suffer the consequences of one’s behaviour (12, 4 words)

13  Worried composer without pieces of manuscript gets mixture of stout and porter (6)

15  UK Shadow Minister (a 13) (6)

18  Erroneously Masai calls up slip of the pen (12, 2 words)

22  Author and media figure (a 13) (5)

23  Shrub – combination of tea and soja bean paste (7)

24  Erratically direr new mechanism for returning to start (8)

25  Old prayer for English monk and scholar (4)

Down

 1  Café in a mess after smallest member of group’s childlike appearance (4,4)

2  Boxer (a 13) (5)

4  Express agreement when told to go (6)

5/12 Author (a 13) (5,8)

6  Dreadful treason in the Newcastle area of the UK (7 (apostrophe))

7  Filmstar (a 13) (4)

8  Front of leg, not once the front of the lower jaw (6)

12  See 5

14  Mouths in front of rising wall the Jewish religious code (7, 2 words)

16  Have a daring entertaining Jewish month (6)

17  Spirit of pathologically mentally unstable type with energy for orgies initially (6)

19   Shakespeare’s scion appears going west and north (5)

20  Rock star (a 13) (5)

21  Indian prince on the rebound, out of harmony long ago (4)

Here is last week’s solution:

General knowledge again this week. If you prefer to work on the interactive version or to print a pdf., click on this LINK which will take you to the Crossword Compiler webpage.

Across

    7  Any of the 50 sea nymphs who were daughters of the sea god Nereus (6)

    8  The brightest star in Gemini; close to Castor (6)

    9  Roman god of war and agriculture (4)

  10  An instrument that shows mileage traversed (8)

  11  Any of various large edible marine gastropods of the genus Haliotis having an ear-shaped shell with pearly interior (7)

  13  Citizens of the former Democratic Republic of Germany (5)

  15  Pertaining to a presbyter of the church of Alexandria, in the fourth century who held Christ to be inferior to God the Father in nature and dignity, though the first and noblest of all created beings (5)

  16   Monotheistic religion having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Torah and in the Talmud (7)

  18  (Historical, India) a landowner, a collector of land revenue (8)

  19  A sparkling Italian white wine (4)

  21  A sudden jarring impact (6)

  22  A member of the Wakashan people living on Vancouver Island and in the Cape Flattery region of northwestern Washington (6)

Down

    1  Queen of the Olympian gods in ancient Greek mythology; sister and wife of Zeus remembered for her jealously of the many mortal women Zeus fell in love with; identified with Roman Juno (4)

    2  The careful juxtaposition of shapes in a pattern (13)

    3  (Mathematics) related by transposition and/or complex conjugation (7)

    4  Site of the Derby (5)

    5  Apparent inconsistency of the fact, stated in 1826 and now explained by postulating a finite expanding universe, that the sky is dark at night although, as there are an infinite number of stars, it should be uniformly bright (6,7)

    6  The study of methods of improving genetic qualities by selective breeding (especially as applied to human mating) (8)

  12   Easternmost of the West Indies about 300 miles to the north of Venezuela (8)

  14  The basic unit of money in Paraguay; equal to 100 centimos (7)

  17  Mammary gland of bovids (cows and sheep and goats) (5)

  20  Carved talisman in humanoid form, common to the cultures of the south Pacific Ocean (4)

Here is last week’s solution, wishing you a happy Easter:

Should you wish to work on the interactive version or print a pdf of this cryptic crossword, click on this LINK which will take you to the Crossword Compiler website.

Across

    1  Oh dear! As dead, not oddly, poet’s put in a funeral vehicle (6)

    6  Take rodents back in coarse Scottish seaside grass (5)

  11  Mortality without degree, easy for Spenser (4)

  12  Child initially isolated in farmyard building (5)

  13  Court without delay entertaining power (5)

  14  Rotten Russian leader lacking limit primarily dishonest (5)

  15  A child’s toy in the highest place (4)

  16  Noises off! Purely intellectual perception! (6)

  18  Kea, by arrangement having a pointed bill (5)

  19  Hit at a sweet potato (6)

  20  Afrikaner organisation – no odd Berber involved (11)

  22  Religious establishments unusually ebb, say (6)

  24  Received by the ear and relating to the air (5)

  26  Ripe or sadly worse (6)

  28  Turn suddenly drunk but not completely (4)

  29  Stone the French papists hold at heart (5)

  30  Gentleman returning holding race scores in Scotland (5)

  31  Once shed light on quaint inlet (5)

  32  Bird of note in the European Union (4)

  33  Something else encircling a cardinal point (5)

  34  Unpleasant woman, a contemptible person over and over again (6)

Down

    1  Fellow on strike for headdress (5)

    2  Tentatively reseat for celebration (6)

    3  Peking hopes calamitously for maintaining trading place (11)

    4  Last bit of white, thin wood (5)

    5  Title of honour for one who has attained level of proficiency in Japanese sports (3)

    7  One who destroys business arrangements in ludicrous utter bursts (11)

    8  Essentially pedantical person in opposition (4)

    9  Suddenly refuse to move and go off in Scotland (5)

  10  Stark bananas, revolutionary and insane (3-3)

  17  Be in very large shape, ultimately excessively fat (5)

  20  Tree bird representing the soul in old religion – pretentious nonsense! (6)

  21  Whirling European sauna leading to sickening disgust (6)

  23  Support first class African barbecue party (5)

  24  Porcelain tiara in disarray (5)

  25  Ancient ghost – the French spirit rising (5)

  27  Start to operate old weir (4)

  30  Scratch in Glasgow and carve endlessly (3)

Here is last week’s solution:

If you prefer to work on the interactive version, click on this LINK.

Across

    7  A city in central southwestern Iran; ruins of ancient Persepolis are nearby (6)

    8  An emotional wound or shock often having long-lasting effects (6)

    9  Egyptian goddess of fertility; daughter of Geb; sister and wife of Osiris (4)

  10  A desert in southwestern Africa – largely Botswana (8)

  11  A city in southeastern Germany on the Elbe River; it was almost totally destroyed by British air raids in 1945 (7)

  13  Spiral-horned South African antelope with a fringe of white hairs along back and neck (5)

  15  Realistic Norwegian author who wrote plays on social and political themes (1828-1906) (5)

  17  English blue cheese (7)

  20  A mountainous republic in central Europe; formerly part of the Habsburg monarchy and Yugoslavia; achieved independence in 1991 (8)

  21  A landlocked republic in northwestern Africa; achieved independence from France in 1960 (4)

  23  A native or inhabitant of a country in North Africa (6)

  24  An ancient liturgical hymn (2,4)

Down

    1  An aromatic gum resin obtained from various Arabian or East African trees; formerly valued for worship and for embalming and fumigation (4)

    2  Optical devices having triangular shape and made of glass or quartz; used to deviate a beam or invert an image (6)

    3  A Hebrew prophet of the 6th century BC who was exiled to Babylon in 587 BC (7)

    4  Departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal (5)

    5  Old name for a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world (6)

    6  A city in the northern panhandle of Texas (8)

  12  Author of satirical attacks on medieval scholasticism (1494-1553) (8)

  14  State capital and largest city of Georgia; chief commercial centre of the southeastern United States; was plundered and burned by Sherman’s army during the American Civil War (7)

  16  Diplomats having less authority than an ambassador (6)

  18  The 11th letter of the Greek alphabet (6)

  19  Showing a lack of intelligence or thought; stupid and silly (5)

  22  Praise, glorify, or honour (4)

Here is last week’s solution:

This week all the across lights can be filled by bodies of water. Only the down clues have cryptic indications. If you prefer to work on the interactive version you should click on this LINK that will take you to the Crossword Compiler webpage.

Across

 7  Name of a body of sea water (6)

 8  Name of a body of sea water (6)

 9  Name of a body of sea water (4)

10  Name of a body of sea water (8)

11  Name of a body of sea water (7)

13  Name of a body of sea water (5)

15  Name of a body of sea water (5)

17  Name of a body of sea water (7)

20  Name of a body of sea water (8)

21  Name of a body of sea water (4)

23  Name of a body of sea water (6)

24  Name of a body of sea water (6)

Down

 1  Stare endlessly in front of a place where Huxley’s people were eyeless (4)

 2  Clouds produced by eccentric artist (6)

 3  One first class canoe in a mess in group of South Pacific islands (7)

 4  French people, female friends socially acceptable at heart (5)

 5  A weapon and sigh of complaint for an abandoned wife (6)

 6  Strangely, Armenian is female icon for France (8)

 12  People who shirk are funnily so varied (8)

 14  Peculiarly chicken to record one’s arrival at work (5,2)

 16  Sad French sitter in disarray (6)

 18  Peculiarly unhand S American bird (6)

 19  Pile up singular food of the bread kind (5)

 22  Crazy about retrogrgrade first man (4)

Here is last week’s solution:

Click on this LINK if you prefer to solve this crossword with the help of the Crossword Compiler interactive programme.

Across

 1  A republic in southwestern Africa on the Atlantic Ocean; achieved independence from Portugal in 1975 and was the scene of civil war until 1990 (6)

 4  (Hinduism) an ancient language of India (the language of the Vedas and of Hinduism); an official language of India although it is now used only for religious purposes (8)

 9  To believe in (4,2)

10  The state capital of South Australia (8)

12  United States physicist who discovered antimatter in the form of an antielectron that is called the positron (1905-1991) (8)

13  The organic basis of bone tissue; chemically it is the same as collagen (6)

15  German commercial company (12)

18  A silver-white alloy containing copper and zinc and nickel (6,6)

21  A simple form inferred as the common basis from which related words in several languages can be derived by linguistic processes (6)

22  A roan horse (8)

24  A straw hat with a tall crown and broad brim; worn in American southwest and in Mexico (8)

25  Sequence of a eukaryotic gene’s DNA that is not translated into a protein (6)

26  The season around the 25th December (traditionally extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6) (8)

27  Nocturnal lemur with long bony fingers and rodent-like incisor teeth closely related to the lemurs (3-3)

Down

 1  A form of yoga (8)

 2  The particles and flakes (and sometimes small nuggets) of precious metal obtained in placer mining (4,4)

 3  Member of a political party that combines the right to individual freedom with the right to representative government (7,8)

 5  (military) an officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer (4)

 6  Personal independence (4-11)

 7  Destroyed physically or morally (6)

 8  [archaic] A servant that helps other servants (6)

11  Small furry Australian arboreal marsupials having long usually prehensile tails (7)

14  Teaching reading by training beginners to associate letters with their sound values (7)

16  A salutation to the Virgin Mary now used in prayers to her (3,5)

17  A rope fitted with a hook and used for towing a gun carriage (8)

19  Quick to take offence or showing courage (6)

20  A ring that can be divided into two or three rings (6)

23  Lacking sufficient water or rainfall (4)

Here is last week’s solution: