THE PRIZE CROSSWORD
WIN £1,500
There’s an amazing £1,500 prize for the first correct solution drawn at random in our general knowledge Prize Crossword. Entries must arrive by Friday, December 7 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, December 23. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter.
ACROSS
11 Complex, ornate or detailed (9) 12 A military command to withdraw an order or return to the previous position (2,3,4) 13 An evil spirit or demon (5) 14 Capital of the US state of New Mexico (5,2) 15 Excessive or unwarranted (5) 16 Gabriela – – –, Argentine tennis player who won the US Open in 1990 (8) 18 US actress and singer whose life was the inspiration for the musical Funny Girl (5,5) 22 Keyed wind instrument especially used in jazz music (9) 24 Bottom-feeding marine fish also known as a sea robin (7) 27 The islands of the Central and South Pacific, including Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia (7) 28 Deep-diving seabird with a black-and-white plumage and long, narrow bill (9) 30 Heitor – – – – – –, Brazilian composer whose music was influenced by Brazilian folk tunes (5-5) 32 A four-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage popular in the 19th Century (8) 35 Relating to the nose (5) 37 The father of Mary, mother of Jesus, in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican traditions (7) 38 Any of the 12 broad-faced human grinding teeth (5) 39 German Shepherd rescued from a First World War battlefield, which later appeared in Hollywood films (3,3,3) 40 18th Century Venetian landscape painter and printmaker (9)
DOWN
1 The capital of Northern Ireland (7) 2 The friend and biographer of 18th Century writer Samuel Johnson (5,7) 3 Gerald – – –, the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 (4) 4 See 19 5 A reddish dye, obtained from the powdered leaves of a tropical shrub, used to colour the hair and decorate the body (5) 6 A spirit of familiarity and trust existing between friends (11) 7 An ancient Greek stringed instrument (4) 8 A residential district on the outskirts of a city or town (6) 9 To join pieces of metal or plastic together by softening with heat and hammering, or by fusion (4) 10 The submissions of issues of public importance to the direct vote of the electorate (9) 17 A poisonous substance of animal or plant origin (5) 19 and 4 Conservative politician who was Chancellor of the Exchequer 1983-1989 (5,6) 20 Unable to express oneself fluently or clearly (12) 21 Opera in two acts with music by Mozart, based on the legends of Don Juan (3,8) 23 Greek philosopher taught by Socrates, an initiator of Western philosophy (5) 25 In communications, a code word for the letter R (5) 26 Mementoes of certain places, occasions or people (9) 29 Ray – – –, Welsh snooker player who won six World Championships in the 1970s (7) 31 Prepared or served with milk (2,4) 33 Oval-shaped, nut-like seed growing in a woody shell, widely used as food (6) 34 Something that causes a sudden and violent disturbance in the emotions (5) 36 – – – Of Solomon, a book of the Old Testament consisting of a collection of love poems (4) 37 The fibre of a tropical, yellow-flowered plant, used in making sacks and rope (4) 38 Small, burrowing mammal with velvety, dark fur (4)