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I have most of this and I enjoyed the tussle, by turns rewarding and frustrating. I have most of the thematic words, except 7a, 15a & 18a. Of normal clues 36d (Rash airman stopped by Navy [4]) is causing hair loss. All ideas welcome! Thanks!

Peter284, the 'rash' is more common in teenage years.

18a As a displaced people, they have been in the news a lot for the last 10 years or so.

Many thanks Malone. What an idiot I am! I was trying to squeeze the answer for 36d into the lights for 35d, when i had already solved both. It must be the hot weather.

I am still short of the three theme words.

Thank you also, kettledrum!

I think 7a and 15a are particularly obscure (and 15a is an alt. spelling). 7a begins with F and 15a with D.

They certainly are obscure drxx. They are both in Bradford's if you have it Peter and are listed under different continents.

Bradfords???? Bradfords???? Yo mean there's a reference book I know not of, not even possess! Please tell me more!

It's a red reference book that provides comprehensive lists on many a varied topic. The blue equivalent is a thesaurus. A friend of mine gave me the paperback version of each.

Thank you. I have checked it out on Amazon and may well get a copy. It used to be the case that, if a word was not in Chambers, the rubric said so. It looks as though this has ceased to be the case. There was a certain security in knowing that an authoritative backstop existed. Its absence enrages me.