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, October 9 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, October 25. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter.
Across
11 Nathaniel – – –, American novelist and short story writer who wrote The Scarlet Letter (9) 12 A flat, spongy cake made by dripping a spoonful of batter onto a hot griddle (4,5) 13 A race between two or more teams in which each contestant covers a specified portion of the distance (5) 14 The largest of Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, the scene of heavy fighting in the Second World War (7) 15 The outer part of a tyre or wheel that makes contact with the road (5) 16 Formerly, loose trousers gathered at the knee, worn by women for cycling and athletics from the late 19th Century (8) 18 Belgian cyclist who won the Tour de France five times in the 1960s and 1970s (4,6) 22 Clothes or linen traditionally collected by a bride for her marriage (9) 24 The negative electrode in an electrolytic cell (7) 27 The first letter of a word or name (7) 28 The capital and largest city of Romania (9) 30 Classic film set in Morocco, starring Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine (10) 32 Roman Emperor from 180 to 192, son of Marcus Aurelius (8) 35 See 3 Down 37 A soft, light fabric of silk or rayon, used for scarves or handkerchiefs (7) 38 The Indo-European language of Iran and Afghanistan (5) 39 The – – –, 1998 novel by Alex Garland (9) 40 Prime Minister of Japan who announced his resignation in August (6,3)
Down
1 Angels often represented as winged children (7) 2 The UK’s largest butterflies, with two redand-blue false eyes (12) 3 and 35 Across ––– ––– Horses, Don’t They?, film directed by Sydney Pollack (4,5) 4 Garden shelter formed by leafy plants growing over a trellis or framework (6) 5 In fairy tales, a servant who appears by magic and fulfils a person’s wishes (5) 6 Norwegian artist whose most famous work is The Scream (6,5) 7 Hindu system of philosophy involving certain physical and mental exercises (4) 8 Bloodsucking African fly that transmits various diseases (6) 9 East Sussex seaside resort forming a city with Brighton (4) 10 Former cricketer who captained Sussex and England in the early 1960s (3,6) 17 A member of the people living in New Zealand since before the arrival of European settlers (5) 19 A plant of the agave family with sword-like leaves (5) 20 Dairy product made by heating full-fat cow’s milk and then leaving it in shallow pans to cool slowly (7,5) 21 Football club that plays its home matches at Pride Park (5,6) 23 Spicy, tomato-based sauce used in Mexican cookery (5) 25 A non-SI unit of heat energy (5) 26 The quality that some liquids have of being thick and sticky (9) 29 The county court sessions formerly held in England and Wales four times a year (7) 31 Traditionally, the head male servant of a wealthy household (6) 33 Consecrate as a priest (6) 34 In certain religious denominations, the house provided for a minister (5) 36 City in West Central Russia at the confluence of the Irtysh and Om Rivers (4) 37 Herbaceous plant or shrub cultivated for its seeds and the fibres of its stems (4) 38 A mass or covering of fine hairs or fibres (4)