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 genus of orthopterous insects with large

spinal forelegs (7,6)

10 A strategy intended to achieve a particular

goal (7)

11 Watercourses, ravines, etc (7)

12 The fleur-de-lis (4)

13 John __ (1793 - 1864), English poet, best known for his celebrations of the countryside (5)

14 An opera in four acts by Guiseppi Verdi

(1871) (4)

17 A space on either side of a large fireplace (9) 19 Reduce to nothing (5)

20 The port of ancient Rome (5)

22 Groups of musicians, actors, etc, who

perform together (9)

24 The above-ground part of a potato plant,

turnip, etc (4)

25 A spiny-finned freshwater fish (5)

27 Layer of foam in the surface of a liquid (4) 30 A green-coloured gemstone (7)

31 A river of the infernal regions in Greek

mythology (7)

32 Developments of events by chance in a

happy way (13)

Down

2 Large town in the south of England, founded

in the 8th century (7)

3 Carry heavy equipment on foot over difficult

terrain (4)

4 Landlocked mountainous Asian country

(56,956 sq miles; pop about 28 million (5)

5 Poisonous plants of the potato family (9)

6 Major river rising in Burundi and flowing 4,130

miles into the Mediterranean Sea (4)

7 Citizen of a country in southern Europe

(116,350 sq miles; pop about 60 million (7) 8 A raw egg with condiments in the USA (7-6)

9 A business organisation, public institution,

etc (13)

15 A member of a flower calyx (5)

16 The third letter of the Greek alphabet (5)

18 Without fixed limits (4,5)

21 A swing-like apparatus used by acrobats (7) 23 Flowering plant, cultivated as an important

forage crop (7)

26 A covered heap of root vegetables (5)

28 A fast-moving mammal of the order

Rodentia (4)

29 A small Old World bird of the flycatcher

family (4)