CROSSWORD

9

10

31

32

ACROSS

Merry Christmas _, Shakin’ Stevens hit and 1985 Christmas number one (8) Ancient Egyptian god of the afterlife (6) _ Christmas, song that was a 1964 hit for Elvis Presley (4)

A form of defence that proves the accused was elsewhere (5)

To cut into a surface with acid or a sharp instrument (4)

It’s A _, television game show first broadcast in 1966 (8)

Syrian city, one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world (6)

_ of Bethlehem, celestial body which led the Magi to the baby Jesus (4) Yellowish-brown used in military clothing (5) The _, a nickname for the British Broadcasting Corporation (4) Aldous _, British author who wrote the 1931 novel Brave New World (6) Funk and disco band whose hits included 1977’s Boogie Nights (8) When A Child Is – (Soleado), Johnny Mathis Christmas hit (4)

That _ You Do! 1996 film which was Tom Hanks’ directorial debut (5) _ Ramprakash, former England cricketer who was a Strictly victor (4) An equiangular polygon (6)

2018 song that was a hit for Jonas Blue, Liam Payne and Lennon Stella (8)

DOWN

_ Waugh, British author whose novels include Brideshead Revisited (6) O Christmas _, popular Christmas song translated from the German O Tannenbaum (4)

City-state on the French Riviera, bordering the Mediterranean (6) Type of cap with a flat circular top and a peak or visor (4)

Francesco _, Italian golfer who won the

2018 Open Championship (8)

_ cone, woody fruit often used as a Christmas decoration (4)

7 Sweet pastry treat often eaten during the festive season (5,3)

14 A Christmas _, 1843 novella by Charles Dickens (5)

15 1989 Alice Cooper album, a number two hit in the UK (5)

17 The joint between the upper and lower arm parts (5)

19 French city located on the banks of the River Garonne (8)

20 In architecture, the central piece at the apex of a masonry arch (8) _ From The Realms of Glory, Christmas hymn with lyrics by James Montgomery (6)

_ van Dijk, inset, Dutch footballer who is a centre back for Liverpool (6) Serpent-like creature in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions (4) Mythological beings similar to fairies or demons (4)

The mother of Jesus in the biblical Nativity (4)