GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CROSSWORD

WIN A LUXURY CROSS PEN

PLAY our accumulator game! Every day this week, solve the crossword to find the letter in the pink circle. On Friday, we’ll provide instructions to submit your five-letter word for your chance to win a luxury Cross pen. UK residents aged 18+, excl NI. Terms apply. Entries cost 50p.

ACROSS

8 John, fashion designer born

in Gibraltar in 1960 (8)

9 U.S. state whose official bird is the western meadowlark (6)

10 A person whose dress

or behaviour seems strange or eccentric (6)

11 Codes for substances used

as food additives (1,7)

12 To live in and look after

a residence while the owner is away (5-3)

13 To wear away by

friction or erosion (6)

14 Planet named after the

Roman god of war (4)

16 English alternative rock band formed in 1995 whose lead singer is Tom Chaplin (5)

17 ____ money, a term

for a gratuity (4)

18 Escape To ____, 1979 adventure war film starring Telly Savalas and David Niven (6)

20 Small tree with tiny, scalelike leaves giving it a feathery appearance (8)

23 Canadian city that staged the first of what are now called the Commonwealth Games in 1930 (8)

24 William Frederick, painter of And When Did You Last See Your Father? (6)

25 Philippe, French general in

World War I nicknamed The Lion Of Verdun (6)

26 A device indicating the levels of lubricant in a vehicle or machine (3,5)

DOWN

1 A small building in a garden giving a wide view of the area (6)

2 Those who arrange and sell e.g. roses and chrysanthemums (8)

3 Marcell, U.S.-born Italian sprinter who won gold in the 2020 Olympic 100 metres (6)

4 English actor who played Cedric Diggory in the 2005 film Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (6,9)

5 To fill or occupy with

people or things (8)

6 A person who belongs to a society, club or political party (6)

7 River in north west Devon that follows a long loop before flowing into the Bristol Channel (8)

15 Mammal with a long snout and sticky tongue that feeds on termites (8)

16 Kwasi, Conservative politician who was appointed chancellor in September (8)

17 Saint ____, fictional church

in The Vicar Of Dibley (8)

19 Hebrew prophet commemorated by Christians on July 20 (6)

21 John, English blues singer and musician born in Macclesfield in 1933 (6)

22 A vehicle on runners for conveying loads or passengers over snow and ice (6)