14 NOVEMBER 1992, Page 61

CROSSWORD by Mass

A first prize of £20 and a bottle of Graham's Malvedos 1979 Vintage Port for the first correct solution opened on 30 November, with two runners-up prizes of £10 (or, for UK solvers, a copy of Chambers English Dictionary — ring the word `Dictionary'). Entries (no photocopies) to: Crossword 1085, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WCIN 2LL.

The unclued lights (one is a phrase confirmed in 11d wer, three are plurals and one is hyphened) comprise a septet and the title. Ignore two accents.

Name Address ACROSS 1 Cabinets reshuffled in his alarm (8) 8 Wilting from litre (spirit) (4) 12 Overcharge little lad, eight (5) 16 A fish in sandy ridges (4) 17 Feature of trek — Kashmiri vehicles (5) 18 Associated and corresponded? No time (6) 22 Gales from North cutting PO workers (8) 23 Sentimental? Loss is hard (7) 24 Product of sumach girl put in can (6) 25 Salt, salt, salt (6) 27 Spain's full of country properties 29 Arches ches designed to include Ita- lian goddesses (8) 33 Officer (no name) going round clubs (6, hyphened) 34 Gas? Vessel has nitrogen (5) 35 Nick causing sensation (4) 37 Hold back brother, in check (7) 38 Regional article, authentic (5) 40 Mac's sly, slick no end (4) 41 Agreeable requests by worker (8) DOWN

1 Alessfle6n)d holding party up, foot-

2 Engine's off the rails (4) 3 Some capital I converted in Indo-European branch (6) 4 Wears down as beard, maybe (7) 6 Child in uproar in carriage (7) 7 Abuse of creeds? Oriental's re- ported profanity (11) 9 Cultivated plots satisfied ram, grazing one (9) 10 Omit American canto (6) 15 Rebel upset Tory in aside (11) 19 Inside, examining cut on a length of gut (10) 21 Fine relic she smashed in basket (9, hyphened)

26 Periodical? English group turned up Scotsman? (7)

28 Nurse is moving East (7) 30 Hoaxes set up? No gravity in Jock's smothered laughs (6) 32 Bent old bachelor in shift (5) 36 Dutchman, Northern in spirit (4)

Solution to 1082: Overseas port

The title = bag or suit-case (v. Chambers), and the unclued lights (5, 17, 26, 43, 44A and 2, 4, 35D) were various carders.

First prize: H. F. Thomas, Diss; Runners-up: Heather Weeks, Chip- ping Norton, Oxon; Bill Anderson, London W6.

Dictionary prizes are sent out by the 'Post-a-Book' service.