FACTFINDER’S CROSSWORD

Dear Reader,

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic we are suspending competition entries for all our prize crosswords. Puzzles will continue to appear as normal but no entries will be accepted or prizes given.

We hope to return to normal as soon as possible.

The solution to this week’s Factfinder crossword will appear next Saturday as usual.

Stay safe!

Joy Yates, Editorial Director

Across

1 A stupid person (10)

6 Former county town in the Borders (pop about 3,000), created a burgh of barony in 1490 (4)

10 A dram of spirits (coll) (7)

11 Denis __ (1713 -84), French philosopher, art

critic, etc (7)

12 A Spenserian term for to pull apart (8)

13 US state capital (pop about 240,000),

incorporated as a city in 1863 (5)

15 Maintenance, conservation, etc (6)

17 Headlong or helter-skelter (4-4)

19 An archaic term for a warhorse (8)

21 A legendary Gaelic poet (6)

24 Uttered wildly (5)

25 The Roman name for York (8)

28 A light yellow-orange colour (7)

29 To shorten, curtail, etc (7)

30 A low hill of sand on the seashore (4)

31 The unravelling of a plot or story (10)

Down

1 Of ceramics, to crack in the oven because of

too rapid cooling (4)

2 An old golf-club with a heavy head and wide

face (7)

3 A striking effect (5)

4 Woody __ (1913 87), US jazz musician and

band-leader (6)

5 Movements in moderately slow time (mus)

(8)

7 Large country in eastern Europe (233,062 sq

miles; pop about 42 million) (7)

8 Joan __ (1926 - 2010), Australian opera singer

created a Dame in 1978 (10)

9 Eccentric characters (8)

14 Large port city in England (pop about

170,000) created a city in 1992 (10)

16 The wife of Orpheus in Greek mythology (8) 18 A sorrow-lulling drink or drug (poet) (8)

20 A ring-shaped cake with nuts and fruit, etc

(7)

22 Now obsolete term for a truck (7)

23 Principality on the French Riviera (pop

about 40,000) (6)

26 The nest of a bird of prey (5)

27 A hollow in a surface, caused by a blow (4)

ACROSS: 7 Enable; 8 Winner; 10 Acquire; 11 Plume; 12 Teem; 13 Divan; 17 Drill; 18 Omen; 22 Charm; 23 Trivial; 24 Recess; 25 Slight.

DOWN: 1 Penalty; 2 Lacquer; 3 Plain; 4 Display; 5 Undue; 6 Greed; 9 Legislate; 14 Promise; 15 Impinge; 16 Inflate; 19 Scare; 20 Match; 21 Silly.