Puzzle 1

A specialist in a particular branch of study

Those who use cigarettes and cigars

Eager to find something out, like a cat maybe

Element with the chemical symbol Li

Cooked under heat

This writer penned A Christmas Carol

Siddhartha __, the Buddha

Money storage items

Alternatives, choices

It usually comes after a lightning strike

Becomes thinner

Superhero, punisher; anagram of engrave