CROSSWORD

No 1,572

TO ENTER Complete the crossword and count how many times the letter ‘X’ appears in the grid. Post your entry to YOU Crossword No 1,572, PO Box 5332, Cardiff Lane, Dublin 2. Closing date is Friday, December 22. One random winner from all correct entries will win €100 and five runners-up will win €25 each. Winners will be notified within 14 days. Solution in two weeks

ACROSS

1 For example, ‘we panic in a pew’; or ‘no, it is opposition’ (11) 7 Greek island (3) 9 Cars (5) 10 Southernmost region of South America (9) 11 Army personnel (8) 12 British socialist society founded in 1884 (6) 14 Important city in 8 down (9) 15 Most important, principal (5) 17 Money spent in 8 down (5) 19 Fictional European country that Anthony Hope invented for The Prisoner of Zenda (9) 21 Simon ______: actor and Orson Welles’s biographer (6) 23 Understood, suggested (8) 25 Central London street; site of many government offices (9) 26 Numbers to be dressed up to (5) 27 Cry from Homer Simpson (1’2) 28 Foreign diplomats (11)

DOWN

1 Convincing (9) 2 Smaller than (7) 3 Malice (9) 4 Performer’s body of work (10) 5 Story handed down from preliterate times (4) 6 18th letter in the Greek alphabet (5) 7 Expedition led by explorer Thor Heyerdahl (3-4) 8 European country (5) 13 Popular name for famous street in 14 across (3,7) 15 Autonomous community in 8 down that boasts 14 across as its largest city (9) 16 People who play the flute (9) 18 North Carolina’s capital (7) 20 ‘Impossible… sorry!’ (2,3,2) 21 Intimidated (5) 22 Musical drama (5) 24 Baby sheep (4)