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, February 26 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, March 14. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter.
Across
11 Warm, two-part outfit worn during exercise (9) 12 An old-fashioned square dance for four or more couples (9) 13 The first month of the religious year in the Jewish calendar (5) 14 – – – Camel, a British First World War single-seat biplane (7) 15 In weightlifting, a lift in which the weight is raised to shoulder level and then above the head (5) 16 Portable metal receptacles for burning charcoal or coal (8) 18 Ignacy Jan – – –, Polish pianist and composer who signed the Treaty of Versailles as Prime Minister of Poland (10) 22 A technique of monochrome painting in shades of grey (9) 24 A row of similar houses joined together by their side walls (7) 27 Island in the Caribbean, one of the Leeward Islands (7) 28 Latin name for the Milky Way (3,6) 30 City on the Rhine in North East France, official seat of the European Parliament (10) 32 A republic in northwest South America colonised by Spain in the 16th Century (8) 35 A metal spike driven into ice in order to secure a rope (5) 37 A system of writing for the blind, consisting of raised dots interpreted by touch (7) 38 Any statement or system of beliefs or principles (5) 39 The character ‘&’, meaning ‘and’ (9) 40 A device with blades radiating from a central hub, rotated to produce thrust to propel a ship or aircraft (9)
Down
1 A person or thing that is ready for use or can be relied on in an emergency (7) 2 In law, the illegal killing of a person by someone who did not intend to kill them (12) 3 A coating or film on the surface of a liquid (4) 4 Official in charge of the financial management of a school, college or university (6) 5 A domed edifice housing Buddhist or Jain relics (5) 6 Type of triangle in which all three sides are the same length (11) 7 John – – –, English architect who designed London’s Marble Arch (4) 8 Iced coffee beverage (6) 9 – – – vera, a juice obtained from the leaves of a liliaceous plant (4) 10 Secretes sweat through the pores of the skin (9) 17 Sugar preparation for coating and decorating cakes and biscuits (5) 19 Something for which an additional charge is made (5) 20 Insect regarded by the ancient Egyptians as divine (6,6) 21 American comic actor, one half of a classic double act (6,5) 23 The – – –, a mission in San Antonio, Texas, the site of a siege and massacre in 1836 (5) 25 Word denoting something associated with, or revived from, the past (5) 26 A mammal in which the young are born in an immature state and continue development in their mother’s pouch (9) 29 A large, basin-shaped crater at the top of a volcano (7) 31 A soldier who guards or keeps watch for danger or intruders (6) 33 The outermost of the major satellites of Uranus (6) 34 To run away secretly to marry a lover (5) 36 Shortened term for a misprint (4) 37 Skara – – –, Neolithic village in the Orkney Islands uncovered by a storm in 1850 (4) 38 Long, tapered shafts used to play billiards or snooker (4)
NOW THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO ENTER
Complete the Prize Crossword and count how many times the letter ‘i’ appears in the finished grid. Then text ISPY followed by your answer, name and postcode to 65700. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network charge. Or call 0905 652 2172 and leave your answer and details. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company’s network access charge. Entries will be accepted until 11.59pm on Friday. Or post your completed grid AND iSpy answer to The Prize Crossword No 1997, The Mail on Sunday, PO Box 3451, Norwich NR7 7NR. Entries must arrive by Friday, February 26 (photocopies not accepted). The winner will be selected at random from correct iSpy answers. See today’s solutions panel for terms and conditions.
Winner of Prize Crossword No 1994: Ray Lashbrook, of Exeter, Devon. Last week’s answer: 13