THE PRIZE CROSSWORD
WIN £1,500
There’s an amazing £1,500 prize for the first correct solution drawn at random in our general knowledge Prize Crossword. Entries must arrive by Friday, December 2 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, December 18. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter. ACROSS 11 Small, salty fish related to the herring family, often tinned or made into a paste (9) 12 An international artificial language invented in 1887 (9) 13 A large group of aquatic animals, especially fish (5) 14 A big cat of African and Asian forests, usually having a tawny yellow coat with black, rosette-like spots (7) 15 Easy to see or hear; distinct (5) 16 The capital and chief port of Sierra Leone (8) 18 August ---, Swedish dramatist and novelist whose plays included The Father (10) 22 Alfred ---, film director whose movies included Rear Window and Lifeboat (9) 24 An alloy of mercury with another metal, especially silver (7) 27 Sharply or severely; intensely (7) 28 Jack ---, actor who won Best Actor Oscar for One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (9) 30 A dish of thin strips of beef cooked with onions and mushrooms, served in a sour cream sauce (10) 32 Christian festival held on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the Magi (8) 35 A royal domain; kingdom (5) 37 Joe ---, world heavyweight boxing champion from 1970 to 1973 (7) 38 A highly venomous snake which spreads the skin of its neck region into a hood when alarmed (5) 39 Anthony ---, nobleman convicted of conspiring with Mary, Queen of Scots, in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth I (9) 40 Piece of paper containing notes on a particular subject, used as a study aid (4,5) DOWN 1 An herbaceous plant with purple flower heads and a long, white, edible taproot (7) 2 Arthur ---, German pessimist philosopher (12) 3 A light, slender, flexible fencing sword tipped by a button (4) 4 Tree whose flowers appear as catkins and wood used in the manufacture of double basses (6) 5 Nancy ---, the first woman to serve as an MP in the British House of Commons (5) 6 In football, a method of restarting play taken from a spot 12 yards in front of the goal (7,4) 7 An informal word for potato (4) 8 Steadied or prepared oneself, as before an impact (6) 9 The current Princess Royal (4) 10 A pastime such as chess, backgammon or Monopoly (5,4) 17 A tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to the church or compulsory tax (5) 19 An adult insect, produced after metamorphosis (5) 20 A group of 5th Century BC Greek sculptures originally produced to decorate the Parthenon in Athens (5,7) 21 The 1st Duke of Lancaster; son of Edward III and father of Henry IV (4,2,5) 23 Joseph ---, prominent Austrian composer of the Classical period, friend to Mozart (5) 25 Ancient Greek slave known for a collection of fables ascribed to him (5) 26 The lower five pairs of curved bones forming the chest wall in man (5,4) 29 A sequence of hereditary rulers (7) 31 The third sign of the zodiac, also called the Twins (6) 33 The heroine of Shakespeare’s The Merchant Of Venice (6) 34 In Greek mythology, an enchantress who detained Odysseus on her island and turned his men into swine (5) 36 In Christianity, long white linen vestments with sleeves, worn by priests (4) 37 A white sheep or goat cheese popular in Greece (4) 38 A strong wooden barrel used to hold alcoholic drink (4)