CROSSWORD

1388: Mad Hatter's threat by Ascot A first prize of £30 and a bottle of Graham's Six Grapes Port for the first correct solution opened on 30 November, with two run- ners-up prizes of £20 (or, for UK solvers, the latest edition of The Chambers Dictionary — ring the word 'Dictionary'). Entries to: Crossword 1388, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LL.

il ii .

A

III

ii

dr

1 2 14 13 I 17 10 20 23

•

25 26 30 31 34

1

40 rr IT.

I

7 43 The unclued ights, which must be treated thematically before entry in the elagram, could be said to follow BUMPY WINDING RAMBLING. BREAK FREE! CHANGE DIRE STORMY DRUNKEN JUMBLE. Chambers does not give the proper nouns at 10, 34 and 42. Ignore one accent.

Name ACROSS

4 Errant Slays must be lashed athwart (11)

11 Noisy plaintiff loses one (7) 12 A King, old noble with white on arms (6) 13 Measly tanner secures old pro — it's disgusting (9) 14 Act badly with short girl at party

16 S(5 orcerers, 100, responsible for witchcraft (5)

23 Ignorant girl somewhere in Herts (7) 25 Studying here? (7) 30 Giant — swine's holding queue back (7) 35 Left girl dipping into one sacred book (7) 37 Staff in room lah-di-dah (5) 40 Capuchin entertains the Queen in eastern inn (5) 41 To surround manse with cops is out of order (9) 43 Dregs in wine round edge of bottle (7) 44 Outlook moderate? So be it before onset of trough (11) DOWN 1 Bring pressure to bear on club serving drink (11) 2 Dim British King on first of yachts (6) 3 Bard's father stores soft wood?

6 Handle old Scottish one around noon (4) 7 Rare Chinese crime — one involving English one (7)

8 Something belonging to me in red unwisely trimmed with fur (7) 9 Lass upset with noise of sittings (9)

10 One girl cuddles rector in a state (7) 15 Merry feast (5) 17 Old mess clothing with grease on (7) 18 Barbarism shown by Senate he and she blew wide open (11) 20 The Spanish workers initially displaying a gift (7) 22 Eminent conductor takes on board Latin mass in a confused state (9) 27 French dramatist and his mother soaking up spilt oil (7) 28 Make a list of bad times in Italy and Spain (7) 29 Group of workmen — one seen round the French plant (7) 33 Fool has wager about dog (6) 36 Ecstasy brought into Acid- House party in sack (5) 39 Old soldiers foreboding (4)