mephisto

[sohcahtoa]

Clue: Amazement with case of JFK shooting and ultimately utter distress for Americans.
_ _ T_ _ _ _ _ M _ _ _
Thanks

[geo0939]

Astonishment?

[Quizmonkey]

S'what I thought - but how?!

[geo0939]

Ah, there's the rub. Thinking about the clue now.

[Quizmonster]

Katzenjammer.

[geo0939]

Hi, Quizmonster. I knew about the Katzenjammer Kids . I now realize it is a German hangover and a state of bewilderment. It seems like a good answer, how did you arrive there with the clues?

[Quizmonster]

Hello, Geo. It's an anagram of 'amazement' +JK (from the outer edges or 'case' of 'JFK') + the final (ultimately) letter of 'utter'.
As it happens, I 'solved' the clue in reverse...ie I got all nine crossing clues, which meant the answer could scarcely be anything else! Only then did I work out the reason. Cheers

[geo0939]

I suppose it helps if you do the crossword but it's still a good bit of work.
As I said , I had read the Katzenjammer Kids when I was (very) young. My family had wealthy relatives in the USA during the war who would send us parcels of clothes and stuff, including the "funnies" along with the US newspapers. I read them avidly, assuming I was the only boy in Britain who knew of them.

Memories!!!!

[Quizmonster]

We must be of the same generation, Geo. I, too, was aware of the name, 'Katzenjammer Kids', during the war and had the occasional American 'comic' then, too. However, I cannot recall ever having seen them there and have no visual memory of them...as opposed to The Bowery Boys!