JUMBO CROSSWORD The present day, by Dumpynose

A first prize of £100, three prizes 0f25 and six further prizes of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (millennium edition) will be awarded for the first correct solution opened on 10 January. The first four prizewinners will, in addition, each receive a bottle of Graham's award-winning Late- Bottled Vintage Port. Entries to: Christmas Jumbo Crossword, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LL.

104 Sliding stepbairns power away on these? (9)

105 Pet worries about seconds (6) 106 Leather from alien space people

it107 orea polled stews of planes

(4) DOWN

1 Atabeg sacked brewer's aid (6)

3 Sian of nalVety upset mater (5)

6 Prisoners hold presents (8)

9 See duff talkie? Noiseless! (7)

10 Sound of man.shouting (3) 11 Fine nuts put aboard transport 12 V ) latter wooden platform (7) 13 What parlour may provide, say: place for 'tea up!' 7 17 Fairy cycles fit for use 4 20 Jolly song cured ill tenor (4) 21 Kidologist's fantasy (4)

ACROSS 15 Type of cloud mobocrat regularly observed (4) 16 Mourningly stripped broken respirator (8, two words) 18 Nerd tamed no-good kangaroo (no tail) (6) 19 Anoxic legislator rattled doctor

22 2)

ebuffed honeybun's rung (4) 23 Drink together by short bar (6) 26 One in pool heard secure swimming tips (6) 27 Gigantic antenatal shapes (9) 30 Ace pork had in galley? (6) 31 Trendy Society awards (5)

34 Sgectator expert embraces style 36 e)ttingmy tale in independent university (6)

37 Opinion of X film (5) 42 Slack sentry admits base hydrocarbon (7) 44 Happy in smelling cut flowers 46 W ad fun catching rat with long claw (10, hyphened) 48 Again issue work retired leader's hoarded (8, hyphened) 49 Tearful in Michigan pen (5) 50 Sordid marine? Gosh! (5) 53 Who laments English QC? (7) 56 Mop low European misplaced

6 i')

3 idges each end of ashlar (4) 65 Nuclide that's not so odd inside (7) 67 Energy in hairy dog caught in bush (7)

68 Afternoon feast, unlike kippers

73 Chums possibly dysfunctional, shunning most of yule (10) 74 Showy dwarf grips fiddle (8) 75 Mini creator keeps nice empty file (7) 85 Extra sentence for Turpin? (5) 87 Union's angry noises (6) 90 Oils unopening hinges (5) 98 Almost plucked the fowl (6) 99 Flesher abused Mac's mistress (7) 100 Convey all bananas due (6) 101 Items charged in advance in Iceland (4) On IA (five words) my 47 sent fifty-five (latish) 4, including 58 and 41 with accessories (unclued lights) in appropriate quantities. 8 nice 5 would have done. 1 put the 41 and their 36Ds in my 89 and put on the Jew- ellery. The 94 (also an accessory) from the other 4 was awful. '33!', 86 exclaimed my 67D (two words), handing me some book called 108 (five words). 'Wish we were there,' he sighed. Ignore three accents.

and

25 29 Ring's soft smooth stone (5) Shuffle hearts with zest (5) 32 Indications of sounder, rare ikons (5) 35 City priest with malaria (6) 38 39 Abstract or incorporate (6) Notably a banned, reviewed writer (6) 43 Charlotte laboured — revealing this? (4) 45 Topping feast picnic includes 50 6ain on Charlie's gutter board (9, two words) 51 Mermaid's hooter (5) 54 55 Bird at home for poet (6) German is in wet city (6 57 Poem with a jackdaw ( 62 Fields troops with relief (6) 64 Tree with ring internally (4) 66 70 Jug of cast-iron (4) Just curbing my cabinet! (5) 72 Pears, say, in yucicy syrup (5) 76 77 Mad sultan axing the trees (5) Ill-oruened changes no medium 78 embellished (8) Drunk with kir, I ate unknown dish (8) 79 Mock rifle's innards in worker's bag (8, hyphened)

80 Railway line cut by very ancient missile (8, hyphened) 81 Droll judge of water pumps (7) 82 Plant lopped tree in gully? (7) 83 Awful misbegot bishop renounced vainglory (7) 84 New vet, he's fixed last of swans? (7) 91 Grafting warriors gutted Nanking (6) 92 Frank manner Liberal lost (4) 93 Exclusive clubs drop Lord (6) 96 Feminist's dress (4) 97 Playing tenor recorder (5) 103 Conserve hot water (3)