THE PRIZE CROSSWORD

WIN £1,500

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, January 31 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, February 16. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter.

across

11 A pattern or arrangement that is made up of shapes such as squares, triangles or rectangles (9)

12 A person who offers an argument in defence of something controversial (9)

13 A quavering or vibratory sound made by birds (5)

14 Marshall –––, Canadian mass media theorist who coined the expression ‘the medium is the message’ (7)

15 The religion of Muslims (5)

16 A white marble mausoleum in Agra, India, commissioned by emperor Shah Jahan in 1632 (3,5)

18 English dramatist, actor and composer whose works include Hay Fever and Blithe Spirit (4,6)

22 Small, nocturnal mammals with protective coverings of spines on their backs (9)

24 An entertainer who wears clothes traditionally associated with the opposite sex (4,3)

27 Land-locked European country, home of the Grossglockner, the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass (7)

28 A venomous tropical marine fish that resembles a rock on the seabed (9)

30 A hard, crisp biscuit flavoured with a spice (10)

32 Old-fashioned word for a secret lover (8)

35 and 29 Down The Charge Of The -––– ––– poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, to commemorate the heroism of soldiers at the Battle of Balaklava (5,7)

37 Nancy –––, British novelist and biographer who wrote Love In A Cold Climate (7)

38 Edvard –––, Norwegian composer and pianist known for his incidental music to Ibsen’s Peer Gynt (5)

39 The act or process of telling a story (9) 40 Publicly acknowledged as excellent (9)

Down

1 To stir or disturb something briskly, especially a liquid (7)

2 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since July 2019 (5,7)

3 Small duck related to the mallard which frequents ponds, lakes and marshes (4)

4 A peninsula in eastern Europe, between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov (6) 5 To burn with hot liquid or steam (5)

6 An exhibition in which models display clothes to prospective buyers (7,4) 7 A low, prolonged, mournful sound (4)

8 Small, rectangular block marked with spots, used for playing games (6)

9 A small, solid, round mass of medicine or vitamins (4)

10 A tax paid to the government when a house is purchased (5,4)

17 Britain’s only native venomous snake, with a black zigzag pattern along its back and red eyes (5)

19 Narrow, shelf-like projection of rock (5)

20 Representations of people or things in historical contexts in which they could not have existed (12)

21 ––– the Great, the first Christian

Roman Emperor (11)

23 Why Didn’t They Ask –––?, 1934 detective novel by Agatha Christie (5)

25 ––– Loos, American screenwriter, playwright and author who wrote the novel Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (5)

26 Critically endangered mammals, also called scaly anteaters (9)

29 See 35 Across

31 In cricket, runs not scored from the bat, such as wides, no-balls or byes (6)

33 To take someone away by force or cunning, kidnap (6)

34 A short raid or incursion (5)

36 Horrific or bloodthirsty (4)

37 Laura –––, British athlete, 2018 European 1500m champion (4)

38 Second-largest city of 27 Across (4)