THE PRIZE CROSSWORD

WIN €2,000

There’s an amazing €2,000 prize for the first correct solution drawn at random in our general knowledge Prize Crossword. Entries must arrive by Friday, November 15 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, December 1. You must complete the iSpy box to enter. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter – and good luck!

Across

1 English political philosopher whose best-known work was Leviathan (6,6)

8 George –––, English portrait painter who painted his muse Emma Hamilton

(Lord Nelson’s mistress) more than 60 times (6) 11 A distinctive brandy distilled in a region of South West France (8) 12 Greek epic poem describing the siege of Troy, attributed to Homer (5)

13 Cylindrical object onto which wire or thread may be wound (4)

14 Preparation used to raise dough for bread or to ferment beer (5)

15 Politician who won a fourth term as President of Russia in 2018 (8,5)

17 Ernest –––, American writer and journalist whose works include the 1940 novel For Whom

The Bell Tolls (9)

19 ––– pepper, a finely-ground powder prepared from the seeds and pods of various chillies (7)

23 A contest or fight, especially a boxing or wrestling match (4) 24 Benito –––, the Prime Minister of Italy 1922-43 (9)

25 Formerly, a man’s garment covering the legs, worn with a doublet (4)

26 Mocking, contemptuous or ironic language (7) 28 Mechanical device which indicates the exact tempo of a piece of music by producing a clicking sound (9) 31 20th Century British author whose works include the children’s novel The Machine Gunners (6,7)

34 A bull that has been castrated (5)

36 An irritation or tickling sensation of the skin (4) 37 A landowner in Scotland, especially of a large estate (5)

38 A gift or reward, usually of money, for services rendered (8)

39 Finishes a supply, consumes completely (4,2) 40 The atmospheric layer between the troposphere and mesosphere (12)

Down

2 ––– Street, London location associated with medical specialists (6)

3 Method of checking a person’s income to determine whether they qualify for financial or social aid (5,4)

4 An area of ground below that of the surrounding land, where water collects (4) 5 Specialist in a branch of medicine concerned with cancer (10)

6 John Logie –––, Scottish inventor; the first man to televise pictures of moving objects (5) 7 A distinguishing mark of social disgrace (6)

8 ––– Cup, the trophy awarded in a professional golfing competition between teams from Europe and the US (5)

9 A large tent used for entertainment or exhibitions (7)

10 A person present at an event who can describe what happened (10) 16 A powder which turns red under acid conditions and blue under alkaline conditions (6)

18 A sun-dried brick used for building (5)

20 City in North France, home to a large Gothic cathedral (6)

21 Native American who allegedly prevented the colonist Captain

John Smith from being killed (10)

22 A small private aircraft carrying no more than two people (10) 25 An unpleasant fact told to a person about him or herself (4,5)

27 Day nurseries for very young children (7) 29 In Greek mythology, the god of the sun (6) 30 In the Church of England, a member of the clergy in charge of a parish (6) 32 A spring-blooming plant with showy, bell-shaped flowers (5)

33 Royal House whose occupation of the English throne began with the reign of Henry VII (5) 35 Frans –––, Dutch portraitist whose works include

The Laughing Cavalier (4)