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, January 12 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, January 28. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter.
ACROSS
1 Statesman and chief advisor of Elizabeth I (7,5) 8 Tendencies or dispositions to act in a particular way (6) 11 A hard, dry cheese made from skimmed milk, used grated, especially on pasta dishes (8) 12 In Roman mythology, the twin brother of Rome’s founder Romulus (5) 13 An island in the Inner Hebrides, site of St Columba’s monastery (4) 14 Rainforest tree which yields a lightweight wood, used to make Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki raft in 1947 (5) 15 Opera by Baroque composer Henry Purcell, first performed in 1689 (4,3,6) 17 A meat-based sauce for pasta originating in a North Italian city (9) 19 Dame Margot ---, 20th Century English classical ballerina (7) 23 Something that helps to solve a problem or mystery (4) 24 An equivalent given in return or retaliation, blow for blow (3,3,3) 25 The god of mischief and destruction in Norse mythology (4) 26 --- I, Duke of Normandy crowned King of England on Christmas Day in 1066 (7) 28 See 32 Down 31 Novel by George Eliot, first published in 1876, the last novel she completed (6,7) 34 Aneurin ---, Welsh Labour politician who was the Minister of Health responsible for the formation of the NHS (5) 36 Unfermented soya-bean curd with a cheese-like consistency (4) 37 Trade ---, an association of employees (5) 38 The capital of Malta (8) 39 To judge the worth, importance of, evaluate (6) 40 Ancient royal park in West Gloucestershire bounded by the rivers Wye and Severn (6,2,4)
DOWN
2 The capital of Oyo State in Nigeria (6) 3 A sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcium carbonate, used as a building material (9) 4 A domed or vaulted recess, especially at the east end of a church (4) 5 A city in South West Ohio, at the confluence of the Licking with the Ohio River (10) 6 A small article valued as a collector’s item (5) 7 Loch ---, a lake in West Scotland, North of Glasgow, the largest Scottish lake (6) 8 In the Old Testament, a Hebrew prophet of the 8th Century BC (5) 9 In the US, a square, deep-fried pastry served hot and sprinkled with icing sugar (7) 10 Lake ---, a lake in central Africa between Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (10) 16 Prefix meaning against or in opposition (6) 18 A young salmon at the stage when it migrates from fresh water to the sea (5) 20 A port and resort in North West Belgium, on the North Sea (6) 21 Large crocodilians of the Southern US, with powerful jaws and sharp teeth (10) 22 English snooker player who won six World Championship titles during the 1980s (5,5) 25 In rugby, the prop on the hooker’s left in the front row of a scrum (9) 27 Time or opportunity for ease, relaxation (7) 29 --- map, a map that shows the configuration and height of the land surface (6) 30 An extravagant gown with a wide skirt and train worn at court in the early 18th Century (6) 32 and 28 Across Robert ---, 19th Century novelist and poet whose works included Treasure Island (5,9) 33 A legal possessor (5) 35 The highest adult male voice; countertenor (4)