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Thanks for the replies.
Didn't know C for Cocaine.

21d. Refined stuff that could have poisoned Abraham?
URBANE

11a. Club unhappy about admitting BBC boss?
BLUDGEON

21a. Struggle making descent
STRAIN

Parses for the above please.

21d I'm not sure. A BANE could be something poisonous - wolfsbane, for example. UR could refer to something primeval or early, but why specifically Abraham?

11 Director General (BBC boss) in BLUE ON (unhappy about)

21a no idea

Apparently Abraham left the city of Ur when God called him.

21 I think that's just a double definition - strain, struggle and strain, making descent, lineage, family line etc.

Thanks for the replies

12a. Light glossy silk that's fashionable in Paris?
ALAMODE

11a. European house that's an imitation
ECHO

19d. Stimulant started early turned on
ECSTASY

Parses for the above please.

12 A La Mode, three words, is French for 'fashionable', alamode is a fabric.


11 An old clue obviously - the European Community (then EEC then EU... or some similar oder!) and Ho, house, Echo, initation, repeat,copy.

EC = European Community, old name for the EU + HO (house) for 11A

Here is the blog for this puzzle. You’ll note that there doesn’t seem to be a satisfactory explanation for 19d…

http://bigdave44.com/2009/03/04/dt-cryptic-no-25867/