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, June 2 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, June 18. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter.
ACROSS
1 Baked treat with a pastry base topped with jam and filled with almond-flavoured sponge cake (8,4) 8 A town in Umbria, central Italy, the birthplace of St Francis (6) 11 A two-humped camel, a beast of burden in central Asian deserts (8) 12 Fictional Detective Inspector created by the author Ian Rankin (5) 13 A horse with a bay, chestnut or black coat sprinkled with white hairs (4) 14 The simultaneous sounding of a group of musical notes (5) 15 Experimental work of comic fiction by Irish author James Joyce (9,4) 17 Friedrich ---, 19th Century German philosopher (9) 19 J.R.R. ---, British writer best known for The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy (7) 23 A young deer aged under one year (4) 24 Neil ---, US astronaut who became the first human to walk on the moon in 1969 (9) 25 The smallest quantity of an element that can take part in a chemical reaction (4) 26 Field --- an officer of the highest rank in the British Army (7) 28 The business given to a commercial establishment by its customers (9) 31 A journalist who reports on a special subject or who sends reports from a foreign country (13) 34 Michael ---, British actor who has won two Best Supporting Actor Oscars (5) 36 Idi ---, Ugandan soldier, dictator and head of state between 1971 and 1979 (4) 37 A large, vertical, steel, tower-like structure supporting high-tension electrical cables (5) 38 See 2 Down 39 The largest state of the US, the capital of which is Juneau (6) 40 British writer whose works included the memoir Good-bye To All That and the novel I, Claudius (6,6)
DOWN
2 and 38 Across English crime writer who created fictional detective Miss Marple (6,8) 3 The act of securing money, favours, etc by intimidation or violence (9) 4 The southernmost of the Great Lakes of North America (4) 5 In music, to be played very slowly (10) 6 In the Old Testament, the first high priest of the Israelites; brother of Moses (5) 7 Island in the south-east Caribbean, forming a republic with the island of Trinidad (6) 8 The criminal act of intentionally setting fire to another’s property or burning one’s own property for an improper reason (5) 9 A Malaysian state on the North West Coast of the island of Borneo (7) 10 Ernest ---, Anglo-Irish explorer who was knighted for his achievements in polar exploration (10) 16 The capital of Canada, in East Ontario (6) 18 Cavy-like rodent of the Caribbean Islands (5) 20 Large, complex musical keyboard instruments (6) 21 --- Activity, supernatural horror film series (10) 22 A type of motor racing using modified roadgoing vehicles (7,3) 25 An arm of the Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey (6,3) 27 Draped, skirt-like garments, from the Malaysian word for ‘sheath’ (7) 29 The standard monetary unit of the United States (6) 30 Plant cultivated for its crisp, curly leaves, which are used in salads (6) 32 Dark, reddish-brown pigment obtained from the inky secretion of the cuttlefish (5) 33 The brightest star in the constellation Cygnus (5) 35 Insect-eating amphibian with a tailless body and long hind legs (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 1802, The Mail on Sunday, PO Box 3451, Norwich NR7 7NR. Entries must arrive by Friday, June 2 (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 1799: Mr J. Ritchie, of Aberdeen. Last week’s answer: 24