WIN €100 WITH IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAY

A prize of €100 will be awarded to the sender of the first correct solution drawn from a hat Entries must be received by Thursday, April 5, at Prize Crossword No 1068, Irish Mail on Sunday, Embassy House, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, enclosing your name and address. The winner of Crossword No 1067 is: Mrs Mary Murphy, Kiskeam Village, Mallow, Co. Cork.

ACROSS

1 Hired thugs (5) 4 Male animal (7) 9 Lost, astray (3,6) 10 Uncultivated shrubby open country (5) 11 Duty, mission (6) 12 Disorganized, lawless (8) 13 Christian festival (6) 15 Blunt use, possibly? That’s indelicate! (8) 18 Speed, swiftness (8) 19 Lawsuit, combat (6) 20 Comes to grief with the builders? (8) 22 A bird laying in many nests (6) 25 Made of a particular type of wood (5) 26 The victim of a prank (5,4) 27 Jackets and joints (7) 28 Helpings of medicine (5)

DOWN

1 Stewed fruit puree mixed with cream and custard (10,4) 2 Proposition, tender (5) 3 Cosset, mollycoddle (5-4) 4 See 5 Down. 5+4 Down Weightlifting discipline (5,3,4) 6 Detest, hate (5) 7 Western pasta? (9) 8 Common dish in Asian restaurants involving pasta (7,7) 14 US woodpecker mixed up in UK scrapes? (9) 16 Not married, detached (9) 17 Observe the heavens (8) 21 Slow learner (5) 23 Door handles (5) 24 Ogres, sea-monsters (4)