20 JANUARY 1996, Page 51

CROSSWORD

A first prize of £25 and a bottle of Graham's Late Bottled Vintage 1989 Port for the first correct solution opened on 5 February, with two runners-up prizes of £15 (or, for UK solvers, the latest edition of The Chambers Dictionary — ring the word `Dictionary'). Entries to: Crossword 1244, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LL.

The unclued l'ghts, four of two words (with one apostrophe disre- garded), are related. Chambers excludes 11D, a familiar phrase.

Name Address ACROSS 6 Tramp has a look for the Bombay duck (6) 12 Book officer in charge ahead of fuss about return of vermin (10) 13 Catty sound from woman endlessly vexed about one (5) 15 Over in US I bothered about old TV network (10) 16 Fish? No recipe for trifles (7) 20 Mart's right in fashion (4) 22 London statue, one subject to weathering process (7) 23 Queen and Rook's mistakes (4) 26 Discharge, being absent after warning (7, two words) 30 Old lag, swindler, takes in knight (4) 31 Baffle about ninety in bar (7) 34 Erect a school loo (4) 36 Ship's beam found in wagon overturned by a marine (7) 38 One amongst strong men shifted vacuum tubes (10) 39 Spinning treadle modified (7) 40 Betrayed one for old coins (5) 42 Small predatory bird — bird catcher, beginning to end (6) 43 Lame parties (Dutch) trudged (8) DOWN 2 University somehow fires ones who join (8) 3 Colonial individual? None in Oz I'd made out (5) 4 Performing mental operation for Unionist in care, old (7) 5 Loner mixed with us in rear once (7) 6 Would-be scout with beard (6) 7 Ocular irregularity? Note very large one, then a second (6) 8 Wolves born in dykes (5) 11 Rum spell, bit of magic (9, two words) 17 Not all from Mildenhall dive (3) 18 See blood round base of this prickly shrub (5) 19 Downhearted skinflint put drop of brandy in beer (9) 21 Have, at university, to confess (5, two words) 25 Elder can, after changing, put baby to bed? (8) 27 Whimsical girl, we hear (3) 28 Stagecoach on the other side of elevated road perhaps (7) 29 Greek girl's water ice (7) 32 Waterfall, eastern, drops on a lake in direct line of descent (6) 33 Trace data transmission without English cop (6) 35 Semi with acre (grass) (5) 37 Unproductive Germany shown up in decline (5)

Solution to 1241: Good company

The other unclued lights were the SEVEN PRINCIPAL VIRTUES (25 11 6).

First prize: P. J. 011esen, Notting- ham. Runners-up: Brenda J. Widger, Altrincham, Cheshire; C. F. Peers, Worcester.