BIG MONDAY CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Southernmost of the Channel Islands, and the second-closest to France after Alderney (6) 4 Soft spongy confection typically made from sugar, gelatine and corn syrup (11)

9 City that replaced Saint George as the capital of Bermuda in 1815 (8)

10 Angular distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees, minutes and seconds (9)

11 See 33

12 See 16 Down

14 Edible butter prepared from the oily seeds of the tropical African tree Butyrospermum parkii, widely used in cosmetics (4)

17 Tender marbled Japanese beef that is the most expensive in the world; Kobe, Ohmi etc (5) 18 God of Norse mythology whose name was the Germanic word for thunder (4)

19 Simple stock-based brown sauce in French cuisine used as a base for others such as chasseur, demi-glace and bourguignonne (9) 21 Third most populous state of America, admitted to the union in 1845 (7)

22 Capital of the Sakha republic (Yakutia) of eastern Russia, on the Lena River (7) 25 Order of monastic nuns founded by St Angela Merici at Brescia, Italy (9)

27 Second son of Adam and Eve, murdered by his brother Cain (Genesis 4:1–8) (4) 28 Badger-like mammal of the weasel family (Mustelidae) found in Africa and Asia; Mellivora capensis (5)

29 River in the Tuscany region of central Italy that flows past Florence and Pisa to the Ligurian Sea (4)

31 British school examinations introduced in 1951 to replace the Higher School Certificate (1,6)

33 and 11 English charter of rights and liberties granted by King John at Runnymede in 1215 to rebel barons (5,5)

36 Woman’s crocheted or mesh hair cover formerly popular as bridalwear; named after a Shakespeare character (6,3)

37 Western peninsula of Asia making up the greater part of Turkey; also called Asia Minor (8) 38 Edible woodland mushroom with a yellow trumpet-shaped cap; Cantharellus cibarius (11) 39 Landlocked country of east central Africa located just south of the Equator (6)

DOWN

1 US avant-garde composer whose works include the silent 1952 composition 4’33” (4,4) 2 Any fast-flying bird of the family Apodidae, related to the hummingbirds (5)

3 Tibetan name for the abominable snowman, said to live in the Himalayas (4)

4 Planet ruled by Ming the Merciless in the stories of comic strip hero Flash Gordon (5) 5 Prehistoric period usually subdivided into the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic stages (5,3) 6 Second-highest of the three designations of excellence in US universities; Latin, literally ‘with great praise’ (5,3,5)

7 Plant in Greek mythology whose fruit induced languor and forgetfulness (5) 8 Language spoken by TV’s Flower Pot Men (19523), invented by voice actor Peter Hawkins (5,6) 13 Small spiked wheel attached to the neck, or shank, of a horse rider’s spur (5) 15 English royal residence founded by William the Conqueror c. 1070 (7,6)

16 and 12 Across Dictator of Panama deposed following a US invasion in 1989 (6,7) 18 Cruciferous root vegetable related to the mustards and radishes; Brassica rapa (6)

20 and 35 Down Traditional English ballad featuring the refrain ‘parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme’ (11,4)

23 Edible seed of a leguminous plant such as a chickpea, lentil, bean etc. (5)

24 Part of a ship providing the cheapest passenger accommodation, usually located near the rudder (8)

26 Largest order of reptiles, comprising the lizards, snakes and worm lizards (amphisbaenians) (8) 30 Prominent constellation on the celestial equator containing the stars Rigel and Betelgeuse (5) 32 ‘And summer’s ___ has all too short a date’ (Shakespeare Sonnet 18 1609) (5)

34 Fish genus of the herring family (Clupeidae) to which the shads belong (5)

35 See 20