Theme: General Skeptical Issues
Ken Greatorex
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ACROSS:
1. Statistical study of elections and trends in voting. International experience in 2016 has shown it to be an inexact science [10]
6. Collected sayings of Confucius [8]
10. & 13 across: Popular psychological personality questionnaire which has demonstrated poor statistical validity and reliability [5, 6]
13. See 10 across
14. Dishonourable [7]
15. Joint connecting foot with leg [5]
17. Mathematician and philosopher, famous for his Wager which recommended believing in God as a good statistical bet [6]
20. The telling of fortunes by reading tea leaves [11]
22. Site for religious sacrifice [5]
24. In ancient Greece or Rome, any of ten prophetesses of great age [5]
26. Fish eggs [3]
29. European religious and military order implicated in a bewildering number of quasi-historical conspiracy theories [8]
30. Killer whale [4]
32. Mimicking [5]
33. Protection or promotion of the interests of those who purchase goods or services [11]
35. UFO Central [7]
37. & 38 across: An institution of the Roman Catholic Church which received bad press as a result of being incorporated in a Dan Brown novel’s plot [4, 3]
38. See 37 across
39. Dung [6]
40. Foul, nasty, abominable [4]
42. Formerly [4]
43. & 44 across: Colloquial carnivorous hoax version of the koala designed to scare tourists [4, 4]
44. See 43 across
45. God of a Roman mystery cult contemporary with and sharing several aspects of early Christianity [7]
46. Dispensed a resource frugally [4]
47. & 48 across: A confidence trick [4, 4]
48. See 47 across
49. Blissful, halcyon [7]
50. Foretelling the future using a crystal ball, mirror or other reflective surface [7]
DOWN:
2. Marks similar to Jesus’s crucifixion wounds [8]
3. Any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavouring, food, medicine, or perfume [4]
4. SI unit of luminous power [5]
5. Tall tale [4]
6. A title for lower-ranking Catholic clergymen in France [4]
7. Muehlenbeckia florulenta, a scrubby plant native to inland Australia, particularly in regions subject to intermittent flooding and drying out [6]
8. Trojan Princess and prophetess, doomed to be always correct in her prognostications but never believed [9]
9. Microorganisms, viruses, or cells which are classified together based on their cell surface antigens [9]
11. Lug hole (slang) [3]
12. Predatory seabird [4]
16. & 41 down: The continuous operation of a hypothetical machine which, once activated, would run forever unless subject to an external force or to wear [9, 6]
18. A comparison between one thing and another, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification [7]
19. Modern religion which venerates Haile Selassie [9]
20. Varieties of the South American herb Nicotiana tabacum [8]
21. Our nearest star [3]
23. The sites of specific genes on chromosomes [4]
25. Things which have no lasting significance [8]
27. Mineral resources [4]
28. Use of handwriting to infer a person’s character traits [10]
31. Appropriated, expropriated [7]
34. The promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices [8]
35. Collection of weird or strange objects [6]
38. Ancient Celtic priest [5]
40. Those born under the sixth sign [6]
41. See 16 down
44. Be appropriate for; suit [5]
45. Repast [4]
47. Fairy [3]