QUIZWORD

Puzzle No 1404 Clues across

7. James Cameron hired linguist Paul R Frommer to construct a new language for which film? (6) 8. Black sigatoka is a fungal disease of which fruit-bearing plant? (6) 10/11. Which New Zealand tourist attraction was opened to the public in 1889? (7,5) 12. What is used as a thickening agent in paints, inks and hairstyling aids? (4) 13. What replaced silk for making parachutes? (5) 17. Who (Franz ___) composed The Merry Widow? (5) 18. Who is the nursemaid dog in JM Barrie’s Peter Pan? (4) 22. What is the darkest part of a shadow? (5) 23. What is a coil of hair worn at the back of a woman’s head? (7) 24. Which cardinal number is represented as 1 followed by 100 zeros? (6) 25. What is the capital of Croatia? (6)

Clues down

1. What is the second-busiest airport by passenger numbers in the UK? (7) 2. Which British bank founded in 1853 was named after a town in West Yorkshire? (7) 3. What silky fibre from around the seeds of a tropical tree is used for stuffing cushions? (5) 4. What American mammal has a foxlike face with a black mask? (7) 5. What is the juvenile form of many creatures before metamorphosis? (5) 6. Who is Donald Duck’s girlfriend? (5) 9. Who composed the theme tune for television’s Neighbours? (4,5) 14. What geometric shape is associated with honey bees? (7) 15. What word can precede powder, basket and tub? (7) 16/19. What was Charles Dickens’ first historical novel? (7,5) 20. Who is the senior in a community of monks? (5) 21. What peninsula lies between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean? (5)

For explanations of previous cryptic crosswords, see David Tossman’s blog at www.noted. co.nz/distractions/quiz