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Crossword Help Forum
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strangelybrown

2nd January 2021, 16:28
Got about halfway, finding this high on hard work, low on fun, with lots of obscurities – Tecumseh, Jehoshaphat, shar pei, red rattle, and probably more in the half I haven't got.

Just a few of the ones I can't get:

1a. Old Greek image that's sacred, commonly including Mass (7).
o?????c

50a Long-running drama, Farewell Monsieur, is back (8)
Might be marathon.

20a Performers once cut grass on pitch in front of one (8)
I cheated on this one, it's 'castrati' but I can't see why.
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manxhatter

2nd January 2021, 16:44
NOH Japanese theatre
TARA farewell
M Monsieur
And I’m struggling to get going today
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mathprofrockstar

2nd January 2021, 16:46
1a must be olympic
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chrise

2nd January 2021, 16:46
20 Def "Performers once cut" (ouch) CAST - pitch, RAT - grass (as is tell on), I
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mathprofrockstar

2nd January 2021, 16:48
Probably holy without the h - "commonly" 'oly? Then pic and m in between.
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strangelybrown

2nd January 2021, 16:59
I've cheated to get an answer for a couple more.

9a. Features, something Greek might write, connected with old Balkan ruler (6).
The answer is phizog. I'm not sure this word even exists. I thought it might be an early contender for worst clue of the year, but then I cheated to get 11d, after now having the beginning letter 'z' but that being no help:
Unknown, he boxed probable criminal in double-header on radio show (6,10):
Zaphod Beetlebrox.

What the hell is that?

My New Year's resolution is to stop doing a crossword if I'm no longer enjoying it, so this has just gone into the recycling.
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kirky

2nd January 2021, 17:02
he's from the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy
anagram of z(unknown) he boxed probable
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kirky

2nd January 2021, 17:03
phi ...letter a greek might write + zog balkan ruler
phizog is slang for a face
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chrise

2nd January 2021, 17:05
....from physiognomy. Zaphod has more than usual - he has two heads
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themadwomanintheattic

3rd January 2021, 09:35
SB, it’s “Beeblebrox”, not “Beetlebrox”. May I ask where you found that answer?

Zaphod Beeblebrox is a character in the radio comedy series “The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. He has two heads. The series went on to spawn a series of novels. There’s a lovely scene in one of them,, in which Zaphod goes to bed and one of his heads goes to sleep, whilst the other stays awake and does crosswords!

We too found this one challenging, and not always in a good way. We’re stuck on two:

12d: Fabric made of net, good, strong thing all round (4-3). We have G - - - / T - X. It looks like GORE-TEX, but we have no idea why.

14a: Glass that’s filled behind agent’s back (6). We have - U - P - -.

All help gratefully received!
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