H Crossword no 1,901 H

TO ENTER Complete the crossword and count how many times the letter ‘V’ appears in the grid. Post your entry to YOU Crossword No 1,901, PO Box 5332, Cardiff Lane, Dublin 2. Closing date is Friday, April 19. One random winner from all correct entries will win a €15 book voucher. The winner will be notified within 14 days (telephone number required). Solution in two weeks.

ACROSS

7 Room underneath a building (6)

9 Dramatic but unstaged musical composition based on a religious theme (8)

10 Forest where Robin Hood supposedly lived (8)

11 Give, allocate, designate (6)

12 Tune, air (6)

13 Go under a Welsh town? (5)

15 What a batter aims to reach (7) 17 (and 3 down) British writer who won the 1983 Nobel Prize for Literature (7,7)

19 Keen, raring to go (5)

20 Tiny principality bordering

France (6)

22 One of the most frequently performed and recorded composers (surname) (1860-1911) (6)

23 Italian dessert with mascarpone cheese (8)

24 Body of separate additional material at the end of a book (8)

25 Christian festival (6)

DOWN

1 Where Jesus was born (9)

2 Place where a small group of monks live and work together (6) 3 See 17 across

4 Fried squid (8)

5 People who are very well known (9,5)

6 Friend of 21 down in 8 down who suffers from asthma and poor eyesight (5)

8 1954 novel by

17 across, 3 down (4,2,3,5)

14 City in Lancashire (9)

16 How the fashion industry is known (3,5)

18 Reason which you pretend has caused you to do something (7)

20 British founder (surname) of the Miss World pageant (6)

21 Protagonist in

8 down (5)