CROSSWORD 1444: Square number by Columba

A first prize of £30 and a bottle of Graham's award-winning, Late- Bottled Vintage Port for the first correct solution opened on 17 January, with two runners-up prizes of £20 (or, for UK solvers, the latest edition of The Chambers Dictionary — ring the word `Dictionary'). Entries to: Crossword 1444, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LL.

Each of nineteen squares (to be deduced) '15 26 — a quotation (in ODQ 4th edition) from the 3 16 of 6A 25. The squares in ques- tion are designed to confirm that, with this puzzle, Columba com- pletes his 3 16 of crosswords for The Spectator.

Name Address ACROSS 1 Making divine start to dance, Felicia whirled (8) 12 Strict club joined by author and editor (10, hyphened)

13 Saucy old clown hasn't run out (5)

14 Disturbed sea fish in journey (7, hyphened) 20 Tense plot about sin (4) 22 Inns endlessly jolly during thrashes (7) 23 Class behaviour (4) 24 Water chestnut I try in season

30 S(7 eaweed, reverse of robust (4) 31 Stomach pains? Grape's stuck in

system (7) 34 Number of sheets Jock's to skim 36 Vehicle hicle (heap) has broken (7) 38 Spell name (4) 39 Cite magazine's article (4) 40 Easily handled New Year? (4) 41 Fashion score of 100 (3) 42 Sense shown by the French press? (6) 43 Support backing daughter of Lear, young one (8) DOWN 2 Old character ordered pies and fruit, wanting pound (8) 4 Groups not long deprived of sun in Greek island (7) 5- Wayward son with many aliases

6 S(7 taff nurse wears funny hat (6) 7 Love compact Danish port (6)

8 Passages made by Dutch among islands (5) 9 Subtle student is bound to be enthralling chap (13) 10 Particular epic's stirring story about America (13) 11 Circuitous wandering nomad rues (9) 17 Tree some fruit adorn (3) 18 Like Jacob, perhaps, beginning to observe climber? (5) 19 Attendant fed outside chambers

(9)

21 Religion upset one king (5) 27 Strange sound of antelope (3) 28 Relevant language, English (7) 29 Cheese shortly left by fly (4)

32 S6) ongbirds (six) rose fluttering (

33 Building in which festival's set up with energy (4) 35 Ready before bout hyphened) 37 Constant heart of brave soul (2)

(5,

Solution to 1442: Gluttony

The theme was eating houses, at: 11 LUNCHEONETTE, 18 BISTRO, 40 CAFE, 5 COMMISSARY, 9 ESTAMINET, 15 GREASY SPOON, 20 SLAP-BANG and 31 EATERY.

First prize: Michael Moran, Penrith, Cumbria. Runners-up: D. Sinclair, Towcester; Mrs D. Waller, Essex.