WIN CRYPTIC CROSSWORD £500

FOR your chance to win, solve the crossword to reveal the word reading down the shaded boxes. HOW TO ENTER: Call 0901 293 6233 and leave today’s answer and your details, or TEXT 65700 with the word CRYPTIC, your answer and your name. Texts and calls cost £1 plus standard network charges. Or enter by post by sending the completed crossword to Daily Mail Prize Crossword 17,209, PO Box 28, Colchester, Essex CO2 8GF. Please include your name and address. One weekly winner chosen from all correct daily entries received between 00.01 Monday and 23.59 Friday. Postal entries must be date-stamped no later than the following day to qualify. Calls/texts must be received by 23.59; answers change at 00.01. UK residents aged 18+, excl NI. Terms apply, see Page 56.

ACROSS

1 Sudden outbursts are increasing in France with lots discontented (5-3) 5 Church by type of house after turn produces tolls (6) 9 Leading figure with bunch shortly in a network (8) 10 Smoothing machine is less ornate, we’re told (6) 12 Some paid actors

in opera (4) 13 French noblewoman evicts some becoming militant (10) 15 Bring to an end track event lately of a crude sort around Hungary (6,7) 19 Bracing film shot by first person revealing children’s plaything (8,5) 23 Brian, perhaps, gets to prosper having springtime growth? (3,7) 25 A grey area in

Indian city (4) 28 At the wicket a fellow held back team, facing trouble? (2,1,3) 29 Fancy site in trade online characterising edible food? (8) 30 Paid attention to explosive pair of media types (6) 31 Opportunist with unknown office attached to an embassy (8)

DOWN

1 Largely replete amateur

actor in London suburb (6) 2 Injured in the East End,

carrying guns? (5) 3 Woman annoyed

naturalist in part (4) 4 Covered entrance I start to

criticise in Iberian city (7) 6 Vacation over time for

English composer (5) 7 Neat music played as accompaniment to a roast meal? (4,5) 8 Sounding like a hooter? (8) 11 Debatable test about

origin of orthodoxy (4) 14 Talk indiscreetly in

British scientific site (4) 15 Beautiful tea fairly

polished off (9) 16 Sound of reformist politician

in artificial headwear (3) 17 Horse of mixed colour rushed around middle of plots (4) 18 Mischievous group is blocking request for quiet (8) 20 Case of officials in

U.S. city prying (4) 21 Stupid Foreign Office liberal is housed in ordinary hotel (7) 22 Sloppy name restricted

in course (6) 24 Singer Cleo in part of

track, reportedly (5) 26 Cunning chap endlessly

on French island (5) 27 Flowerless plant and

river in marshy land (4)