Factfinder’s crossword - The Scotsman 30/11/2013

ACROSS

1 Village in Skye, the site of a ruined 14th century castle (8)

5 George __ (1879-1931), Rothesay-born artist, one of the Scottish Colourists (6)

9 Any of various North American shrubs of the holly family (8)

10 Large powerful feline, allied to the leopard, found in South America (6)

12 An evil demon in Arabian mythology (6)

13 African country (386,900 sq miles; pop over 80 million), independent since 1936 (5)

16 A ferocious South American river-fish (6)

17 Mention in dispatches (8)

20 The fruits of a hybrid between a tangerine tree and a grapefruit tree (8)

21 Swiss city (pop about 175,000), the headquarters of the Red Cross (6)

23 Industrial city in north-east France (pop about 180,000) (5)

25 A goddess of dark places in Greek mythology (6)

28 The great skua (6)

29 South American country (63,061 sq miles; pop about 500,000), independent since 1975 (8)

30 Decomposed rock, largely quartz impregnated with iron compounds (6)

31 Norse warriors who worked themselves up into a frenzy in battle (8)

DOWN

1 A Malay dagger with a wavy blade (4)

2 An evil god in Norse mythology (4)

3 Perthshire village, a tourist centre for the Trossachs (9)

4 Country on the Mediterranean (8,022 sq miles; pop about 7.5 million), independent since 1948 (6)

6 Any arbitrary decree (from any source) (5)

7 Greek historian (c460-c400 BC), banished from Athens in 424 BC (10)

8 Relating to a fictitious land of historical romance (in south-east Europe) (10)

11 A large beer mug (5)

14 A frog-hopper, or froth-fly (10)

15 Stiffened or hooped petticoats worn to make long skirts stand out (10)

18 The flaps on movable parts at the front of helmets, for admitting air (hist) (9)

19 A soft leather used for gloves, made from sheepskin or goatskin (5)

22 A stew or hash made from leftover cooked meats and vegetables (6)

24 A coastal town in southern Liberia, close to Buchanan (5)

26 A kind of squirrel fur, bluish-grey or white (4)

27 A headland or promontory (4)

Last week’s solution:

Across: 3 Rabat, 8 Tongue, 9 Alexia, 10 Parian, 11 Iriscope, 12 Old, 13 Assoil, 14 Episperm, 17 Strauss, 19 Zithers, 23 Melanges, 27 Iambus, 29 Ham, 30 Germinal, 31 Iolite, 32 Bronte, 33 Avouch, 34 Sisal.

Down: 1 Forays, 2 Agricola, 3 Reynolds, 4 Bolides, 5 Tahiti, 6 Red-cap, 7 Dipper, 13 Assam, 15 Sat, 16 Muses, 18 Urn, 20 Inimical, 21 Hamilton, 22 Ashlars, 24 Epeira, 25 Almond, 26 Ganges, 28 Urtica.