PUZZLES

Time to steal a quiet moment and flex your brain with Friday’s puzzle pages

Crossword and sudoku brain-teasers.

ACROSS

1 Major artist of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood who painted Ophelia, Little Speedwell’s Darling Blue, Apple Blossoms (or Spring) and Bubbles (7) 5 Novelist from Dorset who penned Under the Greenwood Tree, Far from the Madding Crowd, The Woodlanders and Tess of the d’Urbervilles (5) 8 Mixture of rolled oats, nuts, pumpkin seeds, dried apricots, sour cherries, etc that can be served with fruit compote and plain yogurt (7) 12 The 45th president of the US (5) 13 Informal designation for a male painter of great skill between the Renaissance and 1800, such as Dürer, Goya, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael or Rembrandt (3,6) 14 Hooks attached to poles for landing large fish; alternatively, spars to which the heads of fore-and-aft sails are fastened (5) 15 Also known by its botanical name Myosotis, a spring flower with tiny chinablue petals, used to symbolise hope, true love or remembrance (6-2-3) 16 Term used to describe a pack of hounds/ beagles ‘speaking’ in flight in pursuit of quarry (2,4,3) 17 Type of bag used by hikers, students, endurance athletes, yompers, countryside picnickers, etc (8) 19 State or condition originally described by Émile Durkheim, characterised by hopelessness in society as a result of lack of structure or an absence of norms (6) 20 Type of projectile that killed William II (Rufus) when he was out hunting in the New Forest in August 1100 (5) 23 Mixed _____; blend of ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, etc, used to flavour gingerbread, baked apples, barmbrack and some fruit crumbles (5) 25 The name of Captain Nemo’s submarine in Jules Verne’s adventure novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island (8) 27 Set of clothes traditionally worn for cricket including a cable-knit jumper and flannels (6) 30 Arm of the Atlantic where Sir Ernest Shackleton and his ship Endurance were grounded by ice during his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (7,3) 32 Human-like figures often made of straw, feared by formidophobics (10) 34 Item traditionally paired with a saucer for drinking a beverage that includes varieties such as Earl Grey, souchong, Darjeeling, tisanes, masala chai (6) 35 Another name for a plant scientist (8) 36 Ancient Greek word used as a numerical prefix denoting seven (5) 38 Political philosopher who wrote A Theory of Justice and coined the phrase ‘veil of ignorance’ (5) 40 River in the Netherlands, along which Hansa towns including Hasselt, Kampen and Zwolle are situated (6) 42 Known in Inuit as Kalaallit Nunaat, the Danish name for the world’s largest island (that isn’t a continent) (8)

45 Bird known collectively as a charm, depicted in a painting by Carel Fabritius (9) 47 Cheese traditionally made in Hawes in Yorkshire, a favourite food of Nick Park’s character Wallace (11) 50 Period of rule, such as the Queen’s record-breaking 65-year-long one (5) 51 Fruit resembling an orange tomato combined with ingredients such as watercress, hazelnuts, shellfish, feta, mint or white chocolate (9) 52 Word used to describe an athlete competing at a high level but not pro (5) 53 Presenter who formed part of the former Top Gear troupe (7) 54 Creator of Waiting for Lefty (5) 55 Artist and friend of Edgar Degas who created The Boating Party (7)

DOWN

1 Design element repeated to form a larger pattern on a textile or wallpaper (5) 2 Henri de Toulouse _______; artist noted for his depictions of the Moulin Rouge (7) 3 Informal na me for Tasmania (5,4) 4 Word describing the intensity of the wind and weather conditions when categorised as 10 on the Beaufort scale (5) 5 A Figure in ______; one of the books in the Hardy Boys mystery series (6) 6 Racquet sport sometimes referred to as ‘the sport of kings’ (4,6) 7 Rare-earth element atomic number 39, named after a Swedish village (7) 8 Tallest living land animals, such as the Rothschild’s species (8) 9 Former gold coin bearing the depiction of a dragon being slain (5) 10 __ _ _ _ _ _ of arms; a pursuivant (7) 11 Word meaning to analyse a metal (5) 17 Fragrant attar-like substance used to tone the skin naturally (4,5) 18 Item such as a tea light (6) 20 Latin phrase meaning ‘for this’ (2,3) 21 Item of furniture for supporting a sink or, historically, a bowl and jug (9) 22 Dinner jacket, a word less commonly used in Britain (6) 24 Village in the southern part of Estonia, in the Võru County municipality (5) 26 Word used to describe the action of a cyclist when releasing a cleat from a pedal during a pause or dismount (6) 28 Unit of three of more Scout patrols, similar to a company of Guides (5) 29 The ‘Cup’ constellation, said to represent the goblet of Apollo (6) 31 Ancient Roman horseman or knight (5) 33 Flower Narcissus papyraceus, often planted indoors with stems of catkins/ pussy willow, pine cones and so on (10) 36 Insects studied in melittology (9) 37 Scientific name for a seal or walrus (8) 39 __ _ _ _ _ _ Tell; Swiss folk hero said to have shot an apple from the top of his son’s head with a crossbow (7) 41 Italian word for jest used in music (7) 43 Coffee grown at higher altitudes than robusta, which is said to add flavour (7) 44 __ _ _ _ _ of Zürich; Swiss bankers (6) 45 The _____; mountain on the outskirts of Cardiff said to have been the inspiration for The Englishman Who Went up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (5) 46 Type of mud from thermal springs in Italy, used in spa treatments (5) 48 Short name for a type of particle accelerator used in radiation therapy (5) 49 __ _ _ _ horizon; surface around a black hole where the gravitational pull is so great that no light can escape (5)

Solutions will be given next week. The last date for entries March 21. The winner of this crossword will be announced on March 31. The winner of the March 3 crossword is Monu John Philip, UAE.