Theme: Cryptids
by Roy Arnott & Ken Greatorex
(click to enlarge and download)
STANDARD CLUES [Scroll down for CRYPTIC CLUES]
ACROSS:
1. & 4 across: Mammal endemic to China, unknown to Western science until 1869 [5, 5]
4. See 1 across
8. Resort to legal action [8]
11. Cure [4]
12. Hoar frost [4]
14. Dark, gloomy, obscure [5]
15. Best-known Australian cryptid, said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds, and waterholes [6]
17. Encountered [3]
18. Godiva’s husband [7]
21. Australian monotreme, forwarded specimens of which were originally considered a hoax [8]
24. Colour [3]
25. Type of popular plaintive Portuguese song [4]
26. Principal arteries [6]
27. The Colossal _ _ _ _ _ ; only two intact specimens of this deep-ocean mollusc have ever been found [5]
29. Belief in dragons and other monsters may be due to _ _ _ _ _ _ dinosaur bones [6]
32. The Sarmation Sea _ _ _ _ _ was described in the 16th century as a mollusc with paws and antlers [5]
33. Great Britain and Northern Ireland [2]
34. Criticise constantly [3]
35. a.k.a. B.C.E. [2]
36. Currency of Norway and Denmark [5]
38. Placed within in a hierarchy or grading system [6]
40. One who walks recreationally [5]
41. Polite address to a male [3]
42. Muslim military commander [3]
43. Second-largest Muslim denomination [4]
46. The word “cryptid” derives from the Greek word for “_ _ _ _ _ _” [6]
48. Horned horse found on national coats-of-arms [7]
49. Anecdotal Australian marsupial, said to be unusually large, vicious, carnivorous and particularly fond of attacking tourists [8]
51. Encourage or support criminal activity [4]
52. Leave out [4]
54. Galilean moon of the planet Jupiter [2]
55. Locomotive bodily appendage [4]
56. & 57 across: Frequently reported cryptid group, often ascribed to escapees from zoos and circuses or abandoned military mascots [3, 4]
57. See 56 across
60. Aka Bigfoot; North American hominid cryptid [9]
63. Rain containing ice or snow [5]
67. A certain level of sweetness in wine [3]
69. Mythical monster like a giant reptile [6]
71. Intrigue [10]
72. Desert water-courses [5]
73. Strikes with the foot [5]
74. Third person singular present of “be” [2]
75. Humorous or malicious deception [4]
76. & 77 across: Marine monster of great length whose sightings are now widely suspected to have been those of oarfish [3,7]
77. See 76 across
DOWN:
1. Complete range or scope of something [5]
2. With reference to; concerning [7]
3. Tasmanian marsupial carnivore; although declared extinct in 1936, sightings persist [9]
4. Tropical fruit [6]
5. Element number 13’s symbol [2]
6. Poultry leg [9]
7. Irish goddess of summer, wealth and sovereignty [4]
8. Garland [3]
9. Legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle’s talons as its front feet [7]
10. Luke warm [5]
13. Fables [5]
16. The Loch Ness Monster was thought by some to be a surviving example of this kind of marine dinosaur [10]
19. Detection system based on electromagnetic waves [5]
20. Ancient fish, once thought extinct found living in modern times [10]
22. Seed case [3]
23. Ancient Mesopotamian city-state [2]
28. Employer [4]
29. Animal hair [3]
30. Striped relative of the giraffe once thought cryptid until observed in early Twentieth Century [5]
31. Burdened [5]
35. North American cryptid hominid [7]
36. Large fearsome marine monster thought to have been suggested by giant squid [6]
37. Element 28’s symbol [2]
39. Young goat [3]
43. Fraud [4]
44. Informal name given to the hominid species Homo Floriensis discovered in fossil form in 2004 by its discoverers [6]
45. Anger [3]
46. & 63 down: Anecdotal reptile said to be capable of taking its tail in its mouth and rolling [4, 5]
47. A negligible amount [4]
50. Basic monetary unit of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, Oman and Yemen [4]
53. Cryptid associated with Tantanoola, South Australia [5]
55. State of matter [6]
58. Taxonomic group whose members can interbreed [7]
59. Root vegetable [7]
61. Flooded, submersed, inundated [5]
62. Species of small crocodilians of Central and South America [6]
63. See 46 down
64. Official order or proclamation [5]
65. Faucets [4]
66. Mythical Australian hominid [5]
68. Variety of lettuce aka Romaine [3]
70. Government agency responsible for the civilian space program of the USA [4]
CRYPTIC CLUES
ACROSS:
1. & 4 across: Gina and Pat combine to set up bamboo muncher [5-5]
4. See 1 across
8. Prepare suit for agile tit [8]
11. Sounds like we have a fix for foot part [4]
12. Old sailor’s poetry? [4]
14. Spirit taken aback with personal lubricant – rather gloomy [5]
15. Roll golfing twitch to find water spirit [6]
17. Encountered at the weather bureau [3]
18. Manipulation of relic for Earl of Mercia [7]
21. Salty pup changes into monotreme [8]
24. Shade sounds like it has the chop [3]
25. Iberian song makes a loud fuss [4]
26. Lines from the heart [6]
27. Element gets old pound for mollusc [5]
29. If loss makes old bones … [6]
32. Elemental fastener for mollusc [5]
33. Undertook extremes to locate HQ of former empire [2]
34. Loan agreement has provision to criticise [3]
35. Canadian province marked as earlier epoch [2]
36. Currency, we hear, for archetypal woman [5]
38. Narked, twisted, graded [6]
40. Queen has spasm of the diaphragm but is ambulatory [5]
41. Gentleman sounds above [3]
42. Motoring organisation with gravity sets up military commander [3]
43. Push iambic elements to find religion [4]
46. Did hen arrange to get out of sight? [6]
48. Educational establishment has weak jokes for mythical creature [7]
49. Mixed up Padre Rob frightens recruits in the bush [8]
51. A wager assists criminal activity [4]
52. Leave out from from item [4]
54. A moon inviolate? [2]
55. Ascent without a hundred could be one leg [4]
56. & 57 across: Tom Hawkins and Dawson Simpson? [3, 4]
57. See 56 across
60. Squash cat to get pedal enlargement [9]
63. Precipitation formed by sheltered side in thoroughfare [5]
67. Dry power authority? [3]
69. Medic, in the past, with nitrogen made monster [6]
71. Greek’s marine crime involves several [10]
72. West to notice Islamic State but the river runs dry [5]
73. Peter’s percussive sublimation on Route 66 [5]
74. To be half of goddess [2]
75. American chopper attached to head office is not to be believed [4]
76. & 77 across: As Petersen changed to become marine monster [3,7]
77. See 76 across
DOWN:
1. Toga muted but includes whole range [5]
2. Poor sap makes reference to [7]
3. Find marsupial in the clay [9]
4. Father took you reduced for fruit [6]
5. Conductor found in mica link [2]
6. Bent bristle, fixed wire or mezzo? [9]
7. Irish goddess found after million leave US state [4]
8. French male has one for his lady friend? [3]
9. Panthera Leo Aquila? [7]
10. Take two parts cold water and one part boiling water [5]
13. (1) Salieri hated Mozart (2) Bats are blind [5]
16. Lousier asp evolves into extinct reptile [10]
19. Palindrome has the range [5]
20. Catch alone is nearly extinct [10]
22. Nitrogen is extracted from pool to develop seed case [3]
23. Old city is in urgent need [2]
28. Regrets becoming employer [4]
29. Curtail anger to find animal skin [3]
30. All clear to France ratio out of Africa [5]
31. Boy in France is loaded [5]
35. Macropod? [7]
36. Warning from Wyndham: Do not wake this [6]
37. Take direction from integer to find metal [2]
39. Remove sulphur from loss of traction for child [3]
43. Directional projection on a shaft is a fraud [4]
44. Stove warming spot with part for fossil lady [6]
45. Anger from fluorine removal from combustion [3]
46. & 63 down: Use aspen hook to set up rolling reptile [4, 5]
47. No 4 transverse piece is negligible [4]
50. Money from timeless test [4]
53. Turkish town changes for big cat [5]
55. Take a pound to lithium to form a fluid state [6]
58. Taxonomic rank of disturbed small bits [7]
59. Root of equal cut [7]
61. Laundry process sinks ship [5]
62. May can produce little nippers [6]
63. See 46 down
64. Newspaper man has unsettled nervous twitch to issue directive [5]
65. Row taken aback for bugle call [4]
66. English tree on Jovian moon twisted mythical creature [5]
68. Function of salad? [3]
70. Objectives of sodium state are out of this world [4]