| FATAMORGANA | Mirage of a sort commonly seen in the Strait of Messina, named after a character from Arthurian legend (4,7) |
| FATAMORGANE | A type of mirage, one especially seen in the Strait of Messina (4,7) |
| GWYN | Character from Arthurian legend |
| OPTICALILLUSION | Mirage of old distracted Lilliputians & co |
| SOUPDRAGONS | 'The -', band from Bellshill named after a character from the TV series 'Clangers' (4,7) |
| DANDIEDINMONT | Breed of terrier named after a character from ' Guy Mannering' by Sir Walter Scott (6,7) |
| APENNINES | Mountain range of central Italy extending from the Ligurian Alps in the north-west to the Strait of Messina in the south (9) |
| CHARYBDIS | Sea monster in Greek mythology that lived opposite Scylla in the Strait of Messina |
| QESHM | Largest island in the Persian Gulf, in the Strait of Hormuz off the south coast of Iran (5) |
| MORGANA | Mirage in the Strait of Messina (4,7) |
| FATA | Mirage in the Strait of Messina (4) |
| EGRET | White heron, the Little of the species is a frequent bird of passage in Mallorca and is commonly seen in flocks on the island (5) |
| SCYLLA | Six-headed female sea monster believed to occupy a cave on the Strait of Messina across from the whirlpool Charybdis (6) |
| GOODWINSANDS | Area of sandbanks in the Strait of Dover lying off the eastern tip of Kent (7,5) |
| WILLIWAW | Cold gust of wind blowing offshore from a mountainous coast, as in the Strait of Magellan (8) |
| NIGERIA | Uplifting song in support of Farage commonly seen in the country (7) |
| FISHER | This figure from Arthurian legend was also the title of a Terry Gilliam film, The ... King |
| CHINA | Asian nation most significantly impacted by potential disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, receiving 8% of oil supplies through this passage. (5) |
| FIVE | Cardinal commonly seen in the velvet revolution (4) |
| DHOW | Cargo vessel commonly seen in the Arabian Gulf (4) |
