BIG MONDAY CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1 Country of South Asia formerly (1947-71) one of five provinces of Pakistan (10)
5 Capital of Brandenburg in eastern Germany, on the Havel River south-west of Berlin (7) 10 Oldest of the French brandies, traditionally distilled from the Folle blanche grape (8) 11 Largest of the constellations, in the southern hemisphere near the celestial equator (5) 12 Meg ___, Canadian-American actress born Margaret Elizabeth Chan in 1960 (5) 13 Oldest organised sport in North America, invented by Native Americans and sometimes called baggataway (8)
14 Elephant bought from London Zoo by US showman P. T. Barnum in 1882, for $10,000 (5) 15 Alternative name for the aubergine used in India and Africa; from Arabic via Portuguese (7) 18 Of a computer system, processing and updating data as soon as it is received (4-4) 20 Third-largest island of the Philippines, separated from Leyte by the San Juanico Strait (5)
22 Thin brown Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour, eaten hot or cold (4) 23 Hindu god of fire, a major deity of the Vedas with Indra and Soma (4)
24 Greek island in the Aegean sea also called Santorini; part of the southern Cyclades (5) 27 Tallest mountain in Hawaii; Hawaiian, ‘white mountain’ (5,3)
29 Whole herring cured by salting and light smoking, especially at Yarmouth (7) 31 Third-smallest country in the world after Vatican City and Monaco, in the SW Pacific west of Kiribati (5)
32 State of NE India created from parts of Assam in 1962; capital, Kohima (8)
34 Light spar on a sailing boat set diagonally to extend a fore-and-aft sail (5)
35 Vessel for holy water, especially a stone bowl near the entrance of a Roman Catholic church (5)
36 Paid job or position that requires little or no work; from Latin, ‘without care’ (8)
37 One of the three European Capitals of Culture for 2021, in NE Serbia on the Danube river (4,3) 38 1984 action thriller film starring Kris Kristofferson, Treat Williams and Rip Torn (10)
DOWN
1 Small nocturnal African primate similar to the lemur, also called galago (8)
2 Trailing plant of the gourd family cultivated for its small cucumber-like fruit; Cucumis anguria (7) 3 20th-century Dutch art movement pioneered by Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg; literally, ‘The Style’ (2,5)
4 ‘There is only one step from the ___ to the ridiculous’ (attributed to Napoleon I, 1812) (7) 6 Member of a Native American people who flourished in Mexico before the Mayas, c. 1200-400 BC (5)
7 French writer and philosopher of the Enlightenment, chief editor of the 17-volume Encyclopédie (1745–72) (5,7) 8 Spiny-finned North Atlantic food fish related to the tuna and bonito; Scomber scombrus (8) 9 Anya ___, titular star of the 2020 comedydrama film Emma. (6-3)
16 Russian author of novels including Rudin (1856) and Fathers and Sons (1862) (4,8) 17 Alcoholic spirit distilled in various Asian countries from the sap of the coconut flower, sometimes with rice or molasses (6)
19 High explosive consisting of a mixture of ammonium nitrate and TNT, used in shells, bombs etc. (6)
21 Arm of the Pacific Ocean surrounded by the Japanese islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, known locally as Seto-naikai (6,3) 25 Roald ___, Norwegian explorer who became the first person to reach the South Pole (1911) (8)
26 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star named Best Supporting Actor at the 2020 BAFTA Awards (4,4)
28 Ally of James Bond in the 1962 film Dr. No, played by John Kitzmiller (7)
29 Servant of Baron Hardup in the Cinderella pantomime, formerly known as Pedro (7) 30 Of music, (to be performed) in a restless or excited manner (7)
33 Order of tailless amphibians that comprises the frogs and toads (5)