GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CROSSWORD

ACROSS

6 Hal, producer born in 1892, noted for backing Laurel and Hardy films (5) 7 Corrupt chocolatier played by Matt Lucas in the 2023 musical film Wonka (8) 10 ____ Drewery, fashion designer and lead singer in Swing Out Sister (7) 11 Mary ____, magical nanny played on film by Emily Blunt and Julie Andrews (7) 12 A short, well-known pithy saying (7) 13 A payment provided by a cathedral to a canon in its chapter (7) 14 A bet placed on a series of races or other events (11) 19 Plant-like organisms forming crusty growths on rocks, walls and trees (7) 21 Cyborg law enforcer who made his debut in a 1988 sci-fi action film (7) 23 Julia Margaret, pioneering photographer, born in 1815 (7) 25 Eleventh studio album by Chris Rea, released in 1991 (7) 26 Greenwich ____ , zone in which the UK and Ireland operate in winter months (4,4) 27 A prolonged stay in bed (3-2)

DOWN

1 Novel by Robert Louis Stevenson that is a sequel to Kidnapped (8) 2 A persistent and peevish complaint (6) 3 Ridges set at intervals on roads to deter motorists from driving too fast (5,5) 4 A complete circuit for an electric current (4) 5 To direct one’s hopes towards achieving something (6) 6 Summaries of matters discussed at the end of meetings or talks (6) 8 Danny, Dutch darts player born in 1990, nicknamed ‘The Freeze’ (7) 9 A remark in a play heard by the audience, but supposedly not by other actors (5) 13 One who supposedly can predict another’s future by looking at hand lines (4,6) 15 A V-shaped stripe on the sleeve of a uniform, usually indicating rank (7) 16 A simple wind instrument played by blowing air through a mouthpiece (8) 17 Gaston, late Austrian engineer who developed a pistol named after him (5) 18 Organ of the lymphatic system, under the diaphragm, that filters blood (6) 20 The slightly convex shape of the surface of a road (6) 22 A thin sphere of liquid containing air or another gas (6) 24 Rusty ____, cocktail containing whisky and Drambuie (4)

SOLUTION ON MONDAY