GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CROSSWORD

ACROSS

6 John Wilkes ____, stage actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln in 1865 (5)

7 An item used in salad dressings that can be graded virgin or extra virgin (5,3)

10 Expression meaning ‘being tested for suitability’ (2,5)

11 An engine that uses a stream of air, gas, water or steam to turn a wheel (7)

12 Describing an alcoholic drink or recording made or sold illegally (7)

13 Gene, actor who played Popeye Doyle in 1972 film The French Connection (7)

14 A mail delivery system on horseback that once operated in the U.S. (4,7) 19 To abridge or curtail (7)

21 National rugby union team whose home ground is the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (7)

23 Rob, Luton Town FC coach who led them to the Premier League in 2023 (7)

25 Glamorous ____, nickname of Chuck Yeager’s plane which broke the speed of sound in 1947 (7)

26 Country separated from India by the

Palk Strait (3,5)

27 ____ Ivanisevic, former tennis player who joined Novak Djokovic’s coaching team in 2019 (5)

DOWN

1 Persuasive flattery (4,4)

2 A sudden sensation of excitement and pleasure (6)

3 The official colour of UK second class stamps (5,5)

4 The garnish used in a grasshopper cocktail (4)

5 ____ Margolyes, actress who played Sister Mildred in Call The Midwife (6)

6 Mr ____, pink figure covered in yellow spots who appeared on Noel’s House Party (6)

8 A condition for which an otologist might be able to help (7)

9 Sandy, folk-rock singer who was a member of Fairport Convention (5)

13 Informal term for ‘extremely angry’ (7,3)

15 One who has an innate talent for a task or activity (7)

16 A tin-mining district in Cornwall or Devon (8)

17 Singer who performed in the half time show at the 2024 Super Bowl (5)

18 Thomas, prolific American inventor whose patents include those for incandescent light bulbs (6)

20 ____, Christian Soldiers, hymn set to music by Arthur Sullivan (6)

22 A capacity for doing work in physics measured in joules (6)

24 Japanese company that produced the video games console PlayStation (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.

n 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 56.