FACTFINDER’S CROSSWORD

ACROSS

7 Former royal burgh in Fife (pop about 9,000), once a yarn-spinning centre (5) 8 An inlay of metal, especially gold, on steel, etc (9) 10 A small South American rodent allied to the guinea-pig (6) 11 The hanuman monkey of India (8) 12 Cleaning a ship’s bottom by burning off seaweed, shells, etc (8) 13 A citizen of a country in north-east Europe (25,990 sq miles: pop about 2 million), independent snce 1991 (4) 15 A wailing spirit warning of death in a home in Irish legend (7) 17 Make or trade in illicit goods (7) 20 A New Zealand hard-wood tree (4) 22 A white heron of several species (8) 25 Comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan (1882) (8) 26 A native American chieftain (6) 27 Pruning-shears (9) 28 A small anchor used to keep a ship steady (5)

DOWN

1 A citizen of a country in south-east Europe (42,823 sq miles; pop about 7 million). It joined the EU in 2007 (9) 2 Members of the military caste of medieval Japan (8) 3 US state capital (pop about 500,000), incorporated in 1792 (7) 4 A circular fort for coastal defence (8) 5 An American wild-cat like a small leopard (6) 6 One of the bones in the inner ear (5) 9 Country in the south Pacific (7,055 sq miles; pop about 900,000), independent since 1970 (4) 14 Pig-iron in a ship’s hold for ballast (9) 16 A skin eruption, especially connected with fever (8) 18 A large plate or platter (8) 19 A variety of sponge cake (7) 21 Island city in south-west Iran (pop about 250,000) 6) 23 Lilian __ (1893 - 1993), US actress who starred in the film, Birth of a Nation (4) 24 The lowest quality of black tree (5)