by Ken Greatorex & Roy Arnott

Theme: General Skeptical Issues

70 Grid

(Click on the grid to enlarge and download)

STANDARD CLUES: (Scroll Down for Cryptic clues)

ACROSS:
1. Aircraft exhaust which causes much concern to conspiracy theorists [8]
10. & 11 across: Thermal-auricular “therapy” [3, 8]
11. See 10 across
12. Sleep period [3]
14. Entreaty [4]
15. Poem in praise [3]
19. Swindle [3]
20. Treatment to rid the body of poisonous substances, often of dubious value [5]
22. To be in debt [3]
24. Spell [3]
25. Extraordinary events ascribed to supernatural causes [8]
27. Otherwise [2]
29. Alternative to CE in historical literature [2]
30. Arsenic’s symbol [2]
32. Cook meat in an oven [5]
34. Possess [3]
36. Meetings in which spiritualists attempt to communicate with the dead [7]
37. Mechanical device that operates automatically with human-like skill [5]
40. Trick-taking card game, the deck for which often constitutes a prop for fortune-telling [5]
42. Greek prefix signifying “around”or “about” [4]
43. Decompose [3]
44. Roman religious official who observed and interpreted natural signs [5]
45. System of medicine developed by Samuel Hahnemann [10]
50. Emanation; halo [4]
51. Element 84’s symbol [2]
52. Large fearsome marine monster thought to have been suggested by giant squid [6]
55. Eggs [3]
56. Steep cliff face [4]
58. Hawaiian native dance [4]
59. Obtain [3]
61. Government of the Christian Church by clerics of high social rank and power [7]
62. Pass on information [4]
64. This ubiquitous and highly useful sense organ is thought to have evolved separately over forty times [3]
65. Pseudomedicine based on measurements of the skull [10]

DOWN:
2. By or of the mouth [4]
3. Rant, harangue [6]
4. “That is” (abb.) [2]
5. Non-vulcanized rubber [5]
6. Setting for a work of art or literature [8]
7. Prefix meaning “against” or “opposed to” [4]
8. Twelfth Zodiacal sign [6]
9. Instances of intense suffering [7]
13. Clever, pithy utterance [3]
14. Chiromancy [9]
16. Fellow or tutor of a college [3]
17. Bizzare [5]
18. & 37 down Technique of using guesses and assumptions, then narrowing in on any positive responses, in order to give the impression of having psychically gained information about a person [4, 7]
21. Evicting demons [8]
23. Us [2]
25. SI unit of length [5]
26. May [3]
28. Fish eggs [3]
30. Fuss [3]
31. Belief not based on proof [5]
33. The study of the celestial bodies in the belief that they have an influence on human affairs [9]
35. Brian _ _ _ _, King of All Ireland [4]
37. See 18 down
38. North American cryptid hominid [7]
39. Divination through cheese [9]
41. The act of choosing [3]
46. Priest or priestess acting as a medium for advice from the gods [6]
47. Egyptian Cross of Life [4]
48. One with a reputation of curing illness [6]
49. (Hindu) set of aphorisms [5]
51. Stride [4]
53. Biblical heroine [4]
54. Cabbage-like vegetable [4]
57. Beam [3]
60. Slippery fish [3]
63. Natural logarithm symbol [2]

CRYPTIC CLUES:

ACROSS:
1. Mix iron and talc for visible aircraft exhaust [8]
10. Anal cringed? Vary it to determine which end being worked on [3, 8]
11. See 10 across
12. Remember sleep? I begin to [3]
14. An appeal is in a peal [4]
15. Nightingale had one [3]
19. Steering the ship is a trick [3]
20. A process to remove what is probably not there [5]
22. Alas! Shaken, to have debt [3]
24. Spell six [3]
25. Marcel is pushed to establish divine intervention [8]
27. Alternative sounds fearsomely wonderful [2]
29. Is it in finitum? [2]
30. Surprisingly, NATO has a country code for Australia. This is it [2]
32. Oven cooking in Euroa stays popular [5]
34. Oxygen, tungsten and Nitrogen combine to signify possession [3]
36. Norse ancestors hold spiritualist meetings [7]
37. “Bot, use your oars!” one hears [5]
40. Thanks decay, it’s in the cards [5]
42. Twisted pier gets about in Greek [4]
43. Express disbelief in rocky outcrop taken aback [3]
44. Work on a guru to read the will of the gods [5]
45. A thyme hoop arrangement would be just as effective [10]
50. Laura latterly is all aglow [4]
51. A Post office in an Italian river? [2]
52. Watch out when it wakes (Wyndham) [6]
55. Egg on sports ground with 50 less [3]
56. Chromium and silver provide a rugged rock face [4]
58. Drag twisted Polynesian dance [4]
59. Extra-terrestrial is preceded by Gravity [3]
61. Church hierarchy is earlier in sequence than frilly [7]
62. Swiss hero reveals all [4]
64. Look in the year book to find something to look out of [3]
65. To practise this you would need your head read [10]

DOWN
2. Take soothing ointment from Royal residence by mouth [4]
3. “Die, Rat!” in some order comprised his diatribe [6]
4. “Except after C” [2]
5. Dilatory unknown is rubbery [5]
6. Portion of an opera with a Portuguese river provides a plot outline [8]
7. Stir a nit for opposition [4]
8. Geometric ratio runs into balance lacking aluminium – a bit fishy [6]
9. Age is no source of great pains [7]
13. Tom backed up wittily [3]
14. Army split. Regrouped to find technique to read future [9]
16. Russian river is academic [3]
17. Insect in charge is grotesque [5]
18. & 37 down: Colin is fearful when his fortune is told [4, 7]
21. Treat micro sex to drive out spirits [8]
23. Direction minus thoroughfare points to us [2]
25. Mr Tee measures length [5]
26. Metal container suggests capability [3]
28. Remove sulphur from flower to make caviar [3]
30. Notice nothing. What a fuss [3]
31. If the story about it is true we should see moving mountains [5]
33. Character determined by twisted stray logo [9]
35. Bromhidrosis with element 44 gives Irish King [4]
37. See 18 down
38. Over-dimensional imperial unit for limb extremity [7]
39. Blessed are the cheese makers for they shall see [9]
41. Makes a choice – change pot [3]
46. A small lightweight boat drops a hundred for the prophetic deity [6]
47. Religious symbolism in Spartan khaki [4]
48. Therapist sounds like Aussie cattle dog [6]
49. A rust can produce pointed expressions [5]
51. Speed with twisted cape [4]
53. Is OT book more ruthless evened out? [4]
54. Stir water body for vegetable [4]
57. Beam in for a year [3]
60. Flip sheltered coast for fish [3]
63. Pathway sans vowels provides logarithm to the base e [2]

SOLUTION