GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CROSSWORD
WIN A LUXURY CROSS PEN
PLAY our accumulator game! Every day this week, solve the crossword to find the letter in the pink circle. On Friday, we’ll provide instructions to submit your five-letter word for your chance to win a luxury Cross pen. UK residents aged 18+, excl NI. Terms apply. Entries cost 50p.
ACROSS
8 English indie pop band that formed in 2013, whose lead vocalist is Tom Ogden (8)
9 ____ Rainforest, the world’s largest tropical one, which includes much of northwestern Brazil (6)
10 Sharpness of outline or visual clarity (10)
11 The devil finds work for ___ hands, a traditional proverb that suggests boredom breeds mischief (4)
12 Describing a hospital patient whose condition is unchanged at a maintained level (6)
14 To supply water to e.g. land or crops in order to help growth (8)
15 ____ rug, a Greek woven woollen floor covering that has a thick loose pile (7)
17 Kristen, U.S. actress who played Princess Diana in the 2021 film Spencer (7)
20 To possess power or authority (4,4)
22 Long-legged wading birds with white or buff plumage (6)
24 A small, burrowing mammal with dark velvety fur and a long muzzle (4)
25 Dull and lacking in variety or interest (10)
27 A person’s posture (6)
28 Greek island in the Sporades archipelago that includes Koukounaries Beach (8)
DOWN
1 ____ Finney, actor who played gamekeeper Kincade in the 2012 Bond film Skyfall (6)
2 ____ Spumante, a sparkling wine made from the Moscato bianco grape (4)
3 To be in charge of an activity or organisation with another person (2-6)
4 A painkiller and anti-coagulant whose precursor is found in leaves from the willow tree (7)
5 An antiquated slang term for a sixpence (6)
6 English cricket commentator and former batsman whose Test debut was in 1978 (5,5)
7 One who conducts and analyses surveys of voters’ opinions (8)
13 Seeds typically tinned in tomato sauce that often form part of a full English breakfast (5,5)
16 Those who are instructed or employed to keep watch, especially on a ship (8)
18 Relief of ____, battle of the Boxer Rebellion that occurred in July 1900 (8)
19 Claudia Fragapane, born in
1997, is a noted British one (7)
21 Lord Peter, fictional detective created by crime writer Dorothy L. Sayers (6)
23 A port city on the French Riviera noted for its naval base (6)
26 Cashews and macadamia are examples of these shelled culinary items (4)
SOLUTION TOMORROW