Crosswords and puzzles
Challenge your word power and test your IQ.
ACROSS
11. Scottish actor who starred as Victor Meldrew in David Renwick’s sitcom One Foot in the Grave (6) 12. French −; also known as the Côte d’Azur, the Mediterranean coastal region extending from La Spezia through Monaco, Nice, Cannes and Saint-Tropez (7) 13. English author who wrote the Wilt series of novels (6) 14. Aromatic pods of a plant in the ginger family, used in Asian cookery in both sweet and savoury dishes (8) 15. Named after the Roman god of the sea, a planet 17 times the mass of Earth with 13 known moons; winds of which reach up to 700mph (7) 16. Find the −; another name for the confidence game, three-card trick (4) 17. Inspector −; crime writer Colin Dexter’s character in a series of novels including Last Bus to Woodstock (5) 19. Variety of aged cheese served crumbled or cubed in Greek salad (4) 20. Crusty end of a loaf of bread; section of a violin bow; or part of the human body containing the calcaneus (4) 21. The national fruit of India (5) 25. Branch of a cross; either of the two halves of an archery bow; or the edge of a sextant (4) 27. English scientist co-awarded the 1973 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for contributions towards homogeneous transition metal catalysis (9) 29. Actor who played Jack Woolley in the BBC Radio serial The Archers for more than three decades (6) 31. The foot-operated levers of a bicycle or a piano (6) 32. With approximately 1.2 billion people, the second-most populous country in the world after China (5) 34. Son of a − Man; single recorded by Dusty Springfield in 1968 that featured in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 movie Pulp Fiction (8) 35. Medieval musician who recited his own or others’ poems or songs to musical accompaniment for royalty or high society (8)
37. − of Fortune; UK version of Merv Griffin’s game show originally presented by Nicky Campbell (5) 38. First footballer to earn 100 caps (6) 40. Bulb-like stem base of a Mediterranean plant eaten as a vegetable, typically with fish dishes (6) 41. Stretching from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Street, the site of a series of government offices including 10 Downing Street in the UK (9) 44. Japanese form of heavyweight wrestling based on grappling (4) 45. Material used in thatching and for horse bedding (5) 47. Oblong wooden basket used for carrying fruits and flowers harvested from the garden (4)
49.− 101; comedy series presented by Frank Skinner, named after a torture chamber in George Orwell’s 1984 (4) 50. Trick-taking game for three players using 40 cards (5) 54. Lady −; stage name of the singersongwriter whose hit singles include Just Dance, Bad Romance and Telephone (4)
56. Town in Shropshire, UK, named after the Scottish civil engineer dubbed the “Colossus of Roads” (7)
58. English architect who designed Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard and wrote the comedies The Relapse
and The Provoked Wife (8) 60. UK prime minister from 1743-54 (6) 61. Victorian philosopher and sociologist who coined the phrase “survival of the fittest” (7)
62. Book forming part of a series (6)
DOWN
1. The capital of Peru; also a code word used in radio communication (4) 2. Compilation album by rock band Soundgarden with tracks including Hands All Over and Black Hole Sun (1-5) 3. The −; eighth in the Jack Reacher series of novels by Lee Child (5) 4. Soldier nicknamed Old Ironsides who led the Roundheads through much of the English Civil War (8) 5. Hypnotist in George du Maurier’s 1894 novel Trilby (8) 6. Either of two brothers who formed part of the New Romantic band Spandau Ballet with Tony Hadley and others (4) 7. Rising in the Black Forest and flowing to the Black Sea, the second-longest river in Europe (6) 8. One of the UK’s Home Counties (5) 9. Traditional Valencian rice dish flavoured with saffron (6) 10. Informal name for a potato (4) 18. Stone fruit used to make tapenade and cooking oil (5) 20. 2005 thriller starring Bruce Willis based on a novel by Robert Crais (7) 22. Valley between rocky hills (5) 23. Roulade-like cake of sponge and jam, dusted with caster sugar (5, 4) 24. Character in Watership Down; also a plant in the genus Veronica (9) 26. Founder of Virgin Group, where he is known as Dr Yes (7) 28. Country containing eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks (5) 30. Science or art of manoeuvring armed forces in presence of the 3 Down (7) 32. A relative by marriage (2-3) 33. System of searching for water or ley lines using a divining rod (7) 36. − gas; alternative term for any of the Group 18 elements on the periodic table (5) 39. Author credited with writing
The Iliad and The Odyssey (5) 42. Oak nymph, wife of Orpheus (8) 43. Species of succulent plant (4, 4) 46. Lack of emotion or enthusiasm (6) 48. Piquant sauce eaten with meat, fish, burgers and cheese (6) 51. Miss −; Agatha Christie’s crimesolving character depicted by various actresses including Joan Hickson and Julia McKenzie (6) 52. Actor who starred as General Zod in Superman (5) 53. In cards, a jack (5) 55. Port in Yemen on the Red Sea (4) 57. Actor who starred in the 2002 movie The Bourne Identity (4) 59. Division of play in tennis (4)