THE PRIZE CROSSWORD
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, February 14 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, March 1. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter.
Across
1 The act, or an instance, of declining to accept (7) 5 ––– House, a residence of the Royal Family in Norfolk, owned by the Queen (11) 10 See 35
11 A heavy knife, especially one used by butchers (7) 13 A hand-held weapon that fires electrical probes, causing temporary paralysis (5) 14 Michael – – – – – –, Dutch darts player, PDC World Champion 2014, 2017 and 2019 (3,6)
15 A symbolic offering of something to a deity (9) 16 A diluted alcoholic spirit, usually rum (4) 17 Abnormally high blood pressure (12)
20 Animal hunted or captured by another for food (4)
21 Wading bird with a long, horizontally flattened beak (9)
22 Any of various small, young herrings, especially when prepared and canned in Norway (4) 26 Retired American figure skater, the subject of a 2017 film starring Margot Robbie (5,7)
27 Type of plant typically growing in dense mats on trees, rocks, or moist ground (4)
29 Stiffened or hooped petticoat worn to distend skirts, especially in the mid-19th Century (9) 31 A request for merchandise sent by post (4,5)
33 City in North France, in French Flanders near the border with Belgium (5) 34 Places of worship associated with sacred people or objects (7)
35 and 10 Arthur – – – – – –, Edinburgh-born author who created Sherlock Holmes (5,5)
36 Defensible places, fortresses (11)
37 Acts of taking people into custody, especially under lawful authority (7)
Down
1 To rebuild or replan a building or area (9) 2 See 30
3 Bony framework that supports and protects the soft parts of an animal’s body (8)
4 A South African antelope with long, lyre-shaped horns (6)
5 – – – – – –: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, award-winning musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (7,4) 6 Ben –––, mountain in West Scotland, the highest peak in Great Britain (5)
7 Any substance that nourishes an organism (8) 8 Fighting or warfare (11)
9 – – – – – – turn, instruction to slow-moving traffic to filter into a single lane (5,2)
12 Musical performances by soloists (8)
16 American big band musician and bandleader who received RCA’s first gold record award for his Chattanooga
Choo Choo (5,6) 18 Man-made ridges of earth or stone carrying roads or railways, or confining waterways (11)
19 Places where bees are kept, usually in beehives (8)
23 Sets of principles or beliefs, especially religious ones (9) 24 Characteristic of, or relating to, James I of England or to the period of his rule (8) 25 Old-fashioned name for a vehicle with four wheels and an engine (5,3) 26 In sport, physical challenges to an opponent, as to prevent their progress with the ball (7)
28 A religious festival or celebration, or a holiday or carnival (6)
30 and 2 Australian-born
20th Century actor, known for his swashbuckling roles in Hollywood films (5,5) 32 Patron saint of France, often depicted carrying his own severed head (5)