CROSSWORD

No 1,542

TO ENTER Complete the crossword and count how many times the letter ‘A’ appears in the grid. Post your entry to YOU Crossword No 1,542, PO Box 5332, Cardiff Lane, Dublin 2. Closing date is Friday, May 26. One random winner from all correct entries will win €100 and five runners-up will win €25 each. Winners will be notified within 14 days. Solution in two weeks.

ACROSS

7 (and 19 across) One of the investors in 10 across (7,6) 8 Averted, dodged (7) 10 BBC TV series in which entrepreneurs pitch to a panel of five wealthy investors (7,3) 11 I play a simple board game? (4) 12 Private (8) 14 Every year (6) 15 People who put shoes on horses (11) 19 See 7 across 20 Ballpark figure (8) 22 Covering tissue consisting of the dermis and the epidermis (4)

23 One of the investors in 10 across (5,5)

25 Convicts, prisoners (7)

26 Subtlety and tact in handling difficult situations (7)

DOWN

1 Longed for (7) 2 To the French, it’s a ‘chanson’ (4)

3 Chemical in tea (6)

4 Person who, with evil intent, manipulates another person (8)

5 Sarah, one of the past investors in 10 across (10)

6 Type of humour employed by someone with a deliberately emotionless face (7) 9 Teenagers (11) 13 Restraint, abstinence, forbearance (4-6)

16 Ornamental awnings (8)

17 Nick, one of the past investors in 10 across (7) 18 Non-believer (7) 21 Hot, tropical, burning (6)

24 A set of six balls in a game of cricket (4)