THE PRIZE CROSSWORD WIN €2,000
There’s an amazing €2,000 prize for the first correct solution drawn at random in our general knowledge Prize Crossword. Entries must arrive by Friday, November 6 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, November 22. You must complete the iSpy box to enter. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter – and good luck!
Across
11 US dramatist who wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1929 play Street Scene (5,4) 12 Of, or relating to, the back of the head or skull (9) 13 Georges –––, French Romantic composer and pianist best known for the 1875 opera Carmen (5) 14 The capital of Iraq, on the River Tigris (7) 15 – – – out, to render a sound inaudible by making a loud noise (5) 16 A person who deserts their cause or faith for another (8) 18 The title character of a folk tale who, with the help of a fairy godmother, marries a prince (10) 22 William Ewart – – –, statesman who served as Prime Minister four times in the 19th Century (9) 24 The – – – Brief, legal thriller starring Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts (7) 27 Person who accumulates a store of things and hides it away for future use (7) 28 A variety of garden pea with an edible pod (9) 30 Applications of medicines, surgery or psychotherapy to patients (10) 32 A high-ranking priest in the Roman Catholic Church (8) 35 In athletics, a short bar carried by competitors in a relay race (5) 37 Alexander – – –, Scottish bacteriologist who discovered penicillin (7) 38 In certain Native American societies, an object, animal or plant symbolising a clan (5) 39 An increase or addition, especially one of a series (9) 40 Chinese philosopher and teacher of ethics whose doctrines were compiled after his death (9)
Down
1 Plant grown for its large, brightly-coloured, daisy-like flowers (7) 2 1779 Christian hymn with lyrics by English poet and clergyman John Newton (7,5) 3 Small, hard particles of sand, earth or stone (4) 4 Fictional sailor, the hero of a story-cycle of Middle Eastern origin (6) 5 Grass-like plant typically growing on wet ground (5) 6 Large birds of the family Columbidae, with white patches on the wings and neck (4,7) 7 Soviet-made surfaceto-surface missile used by Iraq in the 1990-91 Gulf War (4) 8 – – – crab, crustacean with a small, triangular body and very long legs (6) 9 Name of four Holy Roman Emperors, the last of whom was deposed in 1215 (4) 10 Green-skinned, banana-like fruits, eaten as a staple food in many tropical countries (9) 17 A cell or organ that synthesises chemical substances and secretes them for the body to use or eliminate (5) 19 (Of music) having two beats in a bar (5) 20 Roy –––, 20th Century American pop artist and sculptor (12) 21 The –––, 1987 novel by Dublin writer Roddy Doyle (11) 23 A session of overindulgence, especially in drinking or squandering money (5) 25 Marie – – –, English music hall entertainer (5) 26 The young of herrings or sprats, cooked and eaten whole (9) 29 The national variety of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium (7) 31 A ship, lorry or aircraft designed to carry liquid in bulk (6) 33 An archaic, poetic or heraldic word for silver (6) 34 Mechanical device for lifting heavy objects (5) 36 A pleat or fold in a garment, usually stitched down so as to make it a better fit (4) 37 A small, parasitic insect, noted for its power of leaping (4) 38 A long, shallow basket made of curved strips of wood, used for carrying flowers or fruit (4)