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, March 30 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, April 15. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter.
ACROSS
11 The former official South African government policy of racial segregation (9) 12 A deliberate exaggeration used for effect (9) 13 1979 science-fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott (5) 14 A high chest of drawers made in two sections and placed one on top of the other (7) 15 Joseph – – –, prominent Austrian composer of the Classical period (5) 16 An island off North Wales, separated from the mainland by the Menai Strait (8) 18 Greek mathematician and physicist of Syracuse, noted for his work in geometry, hydrostatics and mechanics (10) 22 To repay or compensate someone for money already spent (9) 24 Nickname for a native or inhabitant of Birmingham (7) 27 A commemorative inscription on a tombstone or monument (7) 28 The – – –, 1868 detective novel by Wilkie Collins (9) 30 The quality or state of having a pH value of more than 7 (10) 32 Patricia – – –, Baroness who is the current Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations (8) 35 A fleshy, underground stem (as in the potato) or root (as in the dahlia) (5) 37 See 6 Down 38 Large Madagascan lemur with thick, silky fur (5) 39 Greek dramatist regarded as the father of Greek tragedy (9) 40 Cyril – – –, politician who took office as the President of South Africa in February this year (9)
DOWN
1 Michael – – –, English physicist and chemist after whom the derived SI unit of capacitance is named (7) 2 18th Century English actor and theatre manager (5,7) 3 – – – crop, a short hairstyle worn by women in the 1920s (4) 4 A club-shaped instrument for mixing or grinding substances in a mortar (6) 5 A charming or picturesque scene or event (5) 6 and 37 Across Comic opera in two acts by Rossini, first performed in 1816 (3,6,2,7) 7 A river in East Scotland, flowing through the Grampian Mountains to the Moray Firth (4) 8 City in the East Netherlands, site of a World War II battle (6) 9 – – – jug, a beer mug, typically in the form of a stout, seated man wearing a three-cornered hat (4) 10 State of the East Central United States, the capital of which is Nashville (9) 17 Flowering plant that belongs to the heather family (5) 19 Jack – – –, English cricketer known as ‘The Master’ who was knighted in 1953 (5) 20 Novel by Charles Dickens, the title of which refers to a shipping company (6,3,3) 21 A Western art movement that borrows from prehistoric and early European folk art (11) 23 Brendan – – –, Irish writer whose works included the play The Quare Fellow (5) 25 A German submarine used in the First or Second World War (1-4) 26 The twin brother of Viola in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (9) 29 – – – of the Fleet, an officer of the highest rank in the Royal Navy (7) 31 A fast sailing boat, built in China, consisting of a junk-rigged vessel with a European-style hull (6) 33 – – – Alcott, former alpine ski racer who competed for Great Britain in four Winter Olympic Games (6) 34 John – – –, 19th Century English poet famous for his rural subjects (5) 36 To make money by singing or performing in public places (4) 37 A town in Trafford, Greater Manchester (4) 38 Small demons or devils, mischievous sprites (4)