Crossword 684

Prize: £10 (or a copy of Chambers Dictionary, 1983 edition, value 111.95 — ring the words 'Chambers Dictionary' above) and a `Screwpull' corkscrew, for the first correct solution opened on 3 December. Entries to: Crossword 684, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LL.

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iii29 30

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44

A

The ights defined in italics have stings in their tails — e.g. conVEX, drEDGE etc. These components are different in each case.

Name Address

25 1 had a fix, turning

35 Badly, paler, so resting (7) 37 Archaic clasp (5)

40 Shakespearian character is a 41 ta ACROSS 21 One-man band right in Maine 23 Confiscate (7)

24 Audible 'ouse lobbies, borers

30 Shakespearian youth's escape,

31 Flightless. bird (4) 32 Hard awkward girl — e.g. one 34 Put down mug wrong way (4)

42 Former theft in Ayr makes one

11 One excited by Eastern mystical 12 About to oil old plane (6) 14 Aim, take in Asiatic beast (5) 16 Reckoning 'e's wasting away?

19 I count out after a sale (7)

13 Bird call at river, lake (9, 4 Shaped branch may do for who chaffers (7) cross in a way (6) divination by rod (11) (4)

Aphrodisian? (7) Skirting a State (7) music-maker (5) uop-blight black in shoot end (9. hyphened) reading (7) hyphened)

43 Aguish (7) 44 Damaging smooth point outwardly fang-like (II)

DOWN

I Fib (11)

2 Ceylonese dam (6) 3 Crazy soldier in charge (5) 5 Rowdy, blind (4) 6 Fit as a fiddle (4) 7 Mirth once raised about idealist (7) 8 Wizard stirred tan dyestuff (7)9 Rain, grown wild _ confining (9) 10 Twist (7) 15 Second order in Mac's post (5) 17 Unruly liberal type (7) 18 From Settle dales spread mosaic-like (11) 20 Row round about in a fluty toy bird (7) 22 Rodent heard game bird (9) 26 Mediterranean tree (5) 27 Ancient native of Middle East (7) 28 Man raised palm for bread (7) 29 Struggle? One is in faint (7) 33 Henchmen in robust struggle (6) 36 Country (5) 38 Assemble fitting (4) 39 Portion of cabbage. father? (4)

Dictionary prizes are sent out by the 'Post-a-Book' service. The solution to Crossword 681 is on page 50.