THE PRIZE CROSSWORD
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, April 12 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, April 28. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter.
ACROSS
1 Group of coral islands in the Caribbean, the capital of which is Nassau (7) 5 Actress and author who played Alexis Colby in the 1980s soap Dynasty (4,7) 10 Tony – – –, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1997-2007 (5) 11 City in south-central France on the Vienne River, known for its porcelain industry (7) 13 Calvin – – –, American fashion designer who launched his company in 1968 (5) 14 The capital city of Gran Canaria (3,6) 15 A member of the principal people of Sri Lanka (9) 16 George – – –, 19th Century Romantic writer, known for her ‘rustic’ novels (4) 17 Folding frame used to dry washing indoors (7,5) 20 A gelatinous substance obtained from seaweeds, used as a culture medium for bacteria (4) 21 A European ray with a row of spines along the back and tail (9) 22 A deliberately insulting act or remark (4) 26 The first journey of a vessel (6,6) 27 Geoffrey – – –, former British Conservative politician and Chancellor of the Exchequer (4) 29 The second compartment of the stomach of ruminants (9) 31 British actor who starred in films including The Fixer and Women In Love (4,5) 33 To make oneself subject to, bring upon oneself (5) 34 A language spoken by many Jews in Europe, usually written in the Hebrew alphabet (7) 35 Loose protective garment worn by an artist (5) 36 Broadcaster and author appointed a life peer in 1998, presenter of The South Bank Show (6,5) 37 Concentrates on hearing something (7)
DOWN
1 The southern kingdom of ancient Mesopotamia, conquered by the Persians in 539BC (9) 2 The obverse side of a coin (5) 3 Penny – – –, Secretary of State for International Development since November 2017 (8) 4 In the New Testament, the daughter of Herodias, who beguiled Herod into giving her the head of John the Baptist (6) 5 US crime writer whose novels include L. A. Confidential (5,6) 6 Council area of East Scotland on the North Sea (5) 7 The lower house of India’s Parliament (3,5) 8 Region of France in which Paris is located (3-2-6) 9 Not hypocritical or deceitful, genuine (7) 12 In a law court, the punishment a person receives after they have been found guilty of a crime (8) 16 Relating to the use of facts obtained from analysing information expressed in numbers (11) 18 Activity involving sliding over snow on a flatbottomed sled with a curved front (11) 19 The combination of qualities expected of a medieval knight (8) 23 Violent character in Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist (4,5) 24 In botany, the ripening of fruits below ground, as in the peanut (8) 25 Burns, produces flames (8) 26 Political philosophy developed in the 19th Century that stresses the importance of class struggle (7) 28 Andy – – –, American artist whose famous works included Campbell’s Soup Cans (6) 30 In Greek myths, a princess of Colchis who helped Jason obtain the Golden Fleece (5) 32 Treasure – – –, in law, valuable articles found hidden in the earth or elsewhere of unknown ownership (5)