Diversions & Puzzles

Clues across

1. What is the business or premises of a doctor or lawyer? (8) 7. Who is the patron saint of blackbirds? (5) 8. Who was premier of the People’s Republic of China 1949-1976? (4,5) 9. What old French coin was earlier called a sol? (3) 10. What name is shared by a football club in Amsterdam, Cape Town and Rabat? (4) 11. What does a vigneron cultivate? (6) 13. In local tradition, which South African flower represents change and hope? (6) 14. What neckband originated with 17th-century Croatian mercenaries in France? (6) 17. What is an elephant rider, trainer or keeper? (6) 18. What Arabian antelope is the national animal of Jordan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar? (4) 20. What is a necklace of flowers? (3) 22. What brilliant red pigment is made from mercury sulphide? (9) 23. What is a body of helpers summoned to assist a sheriff? (5) 24. The former French coin Louis d’or was modelled on which Spanish coin? (8)

Clues down

1. What is the favourite food of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Michelangelo? (5) 2/3. What did Rudolph Hass patent in 1935, the first patent of its kind in the US? (7,4) 4. What crisp leafstalk is eaten with dips? (6) 5. What traditional Russian beverage is commonly made from rye bread? (5) 6. What is an inquiry into the cause of an unexpected death? (7) 7. What are herrings that have been split, salted and smoked? (7) 12. What domed structure is a skep? (7) 13. Which electronics company began by making light bulbs in the Netherlands in the 1890s? (7) 15. What is a reeling, falling sensation? (7) 16. What book size results from folding a sheet of paper into four leaves? (6) 17. What is the capital of Belarus? (5) 19. In 2014, the World AntiDoping Agency added argon and which other noble gas to the list of prohibited substances? (5) 21. What is an arm, leg or wing of an animal? (4)