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 Ludwig __ (1889 - 1951), Austrian-born

philosopher (12)

8 A small South African antelope, the palebuck (5)

9 A black wine grape of California, or wine

produced from it (9)

11 An American wild cat, like a small leopard (6) 12 Various types of lichen used in dyeing (8)

14 A scorpion fish (5,5)

15 A German motor manufacturer (4)

18 The red-eye, a fish close akin to the roach (4) 19 Plants of the poppy family. Also the pilewort

(10)

21 Any very thin, delicate material (8)

23 Archaic term for to curse thoroughly (6)

25 Country in Central America, (50,338 sq miles; pop 6.5 million), independent since 1838 (9)

26 Of machinery, runs without doing any work

(5)

27 A boxer weighing between 140 and 147 lbs

(12)

Down 1

A perennial composite herb, also called the

ox-eye daisy (9)

2 Three-cornered hats (8)

3 Large city in Palestine (pop about 600,000

(4)

4 Of little importance (10)

5 Stretches of space or time (6)

6 The Hindu god of the firmament (5)

7 A large monitor lizard (6,6)

10 A lack of energy or spirit (12)

13 American folk singer and social activist (1919

-2014 (4,6)

16 A work in five different languages (9)

17 Cleaving to a party, leader, doctrine, etc (8) 20 To repeat by rote (6)

22 Former currency of Ecuador, between 1884

and 2000 (5)

24 Hard ornamental stone of varying shades of

green (4)