GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CROSSWORD WIN A LUXURY CROSS PEN

ACROSS

6 An informal term for a bet (7) 7 A crowbar that can prise out or dislodge an object from its position (5) 9 A period of expansion in the economy (4) 10 Any substance, especially a paste or powder, for use in cleaning teeth (10) 11 Luther____, U.S. R&B artist whose album This Is Christmas was released in 1995 (8) 13 Expression meaning ‘to serve a prison sentence’ (2,4) 15 An ornamental vessel for holding cut flowers (4) 17 Steve ____, Welsh TV presenter who fronts Channel 4’s Formula One coverage (5) 18 ____ Doré, British actress who played Mo Butcher in EastEnders (4) 19 How The ____ Stole Christmas!, children’s book about a pot-bellied malcontent by U.S. writer Dr. Seuss (6) 20 Book by English author Michael Morpurgo published in 1982 later adapted for theatre and film (3,5) 23 An inflammation of the main airways of the lungs (10) 26 ____ Walker, English defender for Manchester City FC (4) 27 Patron saint of fishermen and locksmiths (5) 28 Song by Ed Sheeran that was Christmas UK No 1 in 2017 (7)

DOWN

1 An ill-natured, churlish person (10) 2 The workroom of an artist, sculptor or photographer (6) 3 Maurice ____, English TV scriptwriter and one half of a duo that created sitcom Birds Of A Feather (4) 4 A cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus including six in the form of a small dipper (8) 5 ____ the Engine, children’s animated TV series created by Oliver Postgate (4) 6 A descriptive catalogue of the plants of any geographical area or period (5) 8 Alan ____, English actor who played Harry in the 2003 Christmas comedy film Love Actually (7) 12 A strong cord connecting a muscle with a bone or other part (5) 14 Large mountain range that forms the backbone of the western U.S. (3,7) 16 A delivery of supplies, troops or equipment from a plane in flight, often by parachute (7) 17 Actor who played Kane, first on-screen victim of the xenomorph, in the 1979 sci-fi film Alien (4,4) 21 A place much frequented for holidays or recreation (6) 22 Croatian city on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea (5) 24 Almonds and pistachios are culinary examples of these items (4) 25 To use a keyboard for creating text (4)

SOLUTION ON MONDAY

PLAY our accumulator game! For your chance to win a Cross ballpoint pen, solve the crossword to reveal the letter in the pink circle. If you have been playing since Monday, you should now have a five-letter word. To enter, call 0901 133 4423 and leave your answer and details. Or text 65700 with the word FIVE and your answer and name. ■ TEXTS and calls cost 50p plus standard network charges. One winner chosen from all correct entries received between 00.01 today and 23.59 this Sunday. UK residents aged 18+ excl NI. Full terms apply, see Page 66.