Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Look at the first definition of mouse in Chambers to see where m** comes from.

I think my assumption was wrong and the second topographic feature - in addition to 23a - is in fact 17d. However, I still cannot parse its first three letters.

The first three letters refers to a genus. It is the root of the word murine.
The whole word refers to a topographic feature - one of the Black Maria.

Many thanks Smartie.

Thanks Wintonian, that's cleared things up. I should have known my topographic feature was the wrong one as I couldn't work out the Irish channel part. (It fitted nicely though!).
Just the strange 28a to do. I'm assuming it's something like the local, modern name for 17d...

Re 28a - sorted. Actually I have one final query. 13a seems obvious but my 2014 Chambers doesn't say it also means widows payment (in Scotland I assume).

Sorry...13a sorted. Just saw the entry after the answer in Chambers and it all fell into place. All set for tomorrows Azed now. (:o)

Can some kind soul please explain 'on leaving Dominica' in 1d for me? Completely baffled by that clue...

Hi theragman. Do you have what you believe to be the grid entry? WD is the IVR code for Dominica. The driving system includes WD which is then removed (“leaving”) for your final grid entry. The “on” in the wordplay seems somewhat superfluous to me but I’m sure some bright spark will set me straight.

Hi merenz. Thank you very much. Don't think I would ever have understood that. Firstly I had DOM as the IVR and secondly I have never come across the abbreviated expression for the driving system, which I would only call x-by-x. All is clear now though.