FACTFINDER’S CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Term for personalised car number plates (9) 6 A savoury meat-jelly (5) 9 Criticism, especially a random or unfounded one (7) 10 A platform for public speaking, etc (7) 11 The monetary unit of Tunisia, Algeria, etc (5) 12 European capital city and major seaport (pop 850,000), founded around 1300 (9) 13 An Athenian lawgiver (7th century BC) (5) 14 A dungeon with no opening but at the top (9) 17 Film (1961) directed by Luis Bunuel which won the Palme d’or at Cannes (9) 19 Franz __(1811 - 86), Hungarian pianist and composer (5) 21 Town on the Clyde (pop about 20,000), once a major shipbuilding centre (9) 24 A clenched fist (5) 26 A name for the Devil or hell (7) 27 Incite to action (7) 28 A shrub or tree (Sambucus) with small flowers (5) 29 Perthshire village (pop 1,500), the site of an 11th century round tower (9)

DOWN

1 The god of love in Roman mythology (5) 2 Country in eastern Europe (17,410 sq miles; pop 1.4 million), independent since 1991 (7) 3 Christopher __ (1904 - 86), Cheshire-born novelist who wrote Goodbye to Berlin (1939) (9) 4 A system of physical exercise and breathing control used in a Hindu discipline (5,4) 5 Small village on Loch Ness, the site of the former music festival, Rockness (5) 6 The corridor of a train or aircraft in the US (5) 7 A green olivine used in jewellery (7) 8 A soft rich cheese originating in Normandy (9) 13 Stewarton-born industrialist and philanthropist (1739 - 1806), who founded New Lanark (5,4) 15 A sudden bright idea (9) 16 London borough (pop about 215,000) (9) 18 Arthur __ (1854 - 91), French poet who wrote Illuminations (7) 20 James __ (1908 - 97), US actor who won an Oscar for Best Actor in The Philadelphia Story (1940) (7) 22 An artificial fishing fly (5) 23 A brief string-like bikini (5) 25 Variety of corundum used as powder for

polishing, etc (5)