THE PRIZE CROSSWORD

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, May 26 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sund

ACROSS

11 King of Macedon who conquered Greece, Egypt and the Persian Empire, known as ‘the Great’ (9) 12 A military shelter of semicircular cross section, invented and built as housing for troops in the First World War (6,3) 13 See 4 Down 14 Village in Wiltshire; site of an extensive Neolithic stone circle (7) 15 The revolving part of a dynamo, motor or turbine (5) 16 La ---, alternative name for Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (8) 18 Irish writer and aesthete who wrote the play The Importance Of Being Earnest (5,5) 22 A declaration in writing made upon oath, especially for use as evidence in court (9) 24 A republic in West Asia, on the Mediterranean (7) 27 County of Ireland known as the Garden of Ireland (7) 28 Culinary term meaning cooked or garnished with onions (9) 30 Details of a contract or insurance policy, often a trap for the unwary (5,5) 32 The amount by which the value of a country’s imports exceeds that of its exports (5,3) 35 Relating to the country or country life (5) 37 A soft, pliant leather, traditionally made from the hide of a goat-like antelope (7) 38 West African republic which gained independence from France in 1960 (5) 39 Weather phenomenon most frequently seen in Kifuka, a village in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (9) 40 The festival of Shrove Tuesday, famously celebrated with a carnival in Rio de Janeiro (5,4)

DOWN

1 Peter Carl ---, Russian goldsmith and jeweller, known for his elaborate Easter eggs (7) 2 Spanish golfer who won this year’s US Masters Tournament (6,6) 3 A species of dark-coated wild cattle, inhabiting mountainous regions of South Asia (4) 4 and 13 Across English composer whose works included The Dream Of Gerontius and the Pomp And Circumstance Marches (6,5) 5 Forest of ---, a region of North Warwickshire, scene of Shakespeare’s As You Like It (5) 6 See 29 7 A guessing game usually played by young children (1-3) 8 An official language of Israel (6) 9 Langue de ---, a very thin, finger-shaped biscuit or chocolate bar (4) 10 Large, primitive fish, valued as sources of caviar and isinglass (9) 17 The edible internal parts of an animal (5) 19 --- key, an L-shaped tool with a hexagonal cross section (5) 20 Type of British social class (6,6) 21 English novelist whose works included Decline And Fall and Scoop (6,5) 23 Donald ---, the inaugural First Minister of Scotland (5) 25 John Logie ---, Scottish engineer and inventor of the first television system (5) 26 A sponge cake spread with jam, cream or another filling and served in a cylindrical form (5,4) 29 and 6 Institution established in 1478 to preserve Catholicism by suppressing heresy (7,11) 31 Controversial 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov (6) 33 In the Roman Catholic Church, a series of prayers counted on a string of beads (6) 34 A belief, principle or doctrine (5) 36 Installations used in drilling for and exploiting natural oil and gas deposits (4) 37 A child’s bed with slatted wooden sides; cot (4) 38 Something edible fixed to a hook or in a trap to attract fish or animals (4)