CROSSWORD 1036: Cat by Mass

A first prize of £20 and two further prizes of CFO (or, for UK solvers, a copy of Chambers English Dictionary — ring the word 'Dictionary') for the first three correct solutions (please no photocopies) opened on 9 December. Entries to: Crossword 1036, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LL.

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3 .1... 4 5

10

11 12

I 13

I

15

16

17

18

19

120

21

22

23

24

26

27 2$ 29

31 35

32

33

34

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

The unclued fghts (one a phrase not given as such in Chambers) are variously related. The OED gives 22A. Ignore an accent.

Name Address

Dictionary prizes are sent out by the 'Post-a-Book' service.

ACROSS 1 Gin school — game's audible (8) 6 Unite or divide (6)

12 Blend American weed with tea (10)

13 Letters about my awards (5) 14 Cook quickly and can small fish (7, hyphened) 15 Blame in letter for difficulty (10) 16 I sorted out bile-acid? (7) 20 Informer is informed, we hear (4) 22 Gun's damaged by file: release hold (7) 23 Reportedly enclosed passage in , Edinburgh (4) 24 Winding US video erratically (7) 26 Artist has facts about isle's echi- noderms? (7) 30 One party with Liberal image (4) 31 Shiner worries Jack (7) 34 Bones in case returned to Socie- ty of Antiquaries (4)

36 Cycle jaunt meets obstruction (7

38 A car I tried rattled — get it fixed! (10) 39 Ferns making early return, hedg- ing a road (7) 40 A proper vocal farewell (5) 41 Local crowd absorbed by one who flattens hardware dealer (10) 42 Snuffs from Ayr, 1000 in vessels (6) 43 Odd toes (ends) morbidly con- tracted (8) DOWN 2 Company encountered woman's provincial charm (8) 3 People of Kerala? No, Arabic

(5)

4 Sides knock up matches (7) 5 Did leap, wildly, in tartan (7) 7 One who once longed for a money-spinner? (6) 9 Pale rosy suite changed tor bright red (13)

10 Paused tipsily filling hamper with mixed gins, items of fooct (13, hyphened) 18 Money exchanges? Silver iS bringing in nothing (5)

25 Rather old Persian in uniforro (8) 27 Effort to hear (3)

28 Disgrace, a stain, it's said (7) , 33 Truisms cut: I'm so abashed (61 37 Professional covering Edward s five of trumps (5)