CROSSWORD

1275: Contributory factors by Doc

A first prize of £25 and a bottle of Graham's Late Bottled Vintage 1989 Port for the first correct solution opened on 9 September, 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 1275, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WCIN 2LL.

The unclued lights (two of two words , individually or paired, are of a kind. Brewer confirms 30.

Name Address ACROSS 1 Boxes containing one thesaurus

returned for classes (11) 7 Calls from the Watch Oak (3) 11 Hood put state in the money (6) 15 Tend pale Scots flower (5) 16 'eroic author's measures (5) 17 Encourage one new dictator (6) 1,8 Girl's article in its Spanish translation (5) 20 No help spilling weak acid (6) 21 Senior member's same money

5

() 22 I object to sailor getting help for theatre (7) 29 Not a soul having time for English (5, two words) 30 Faithful dog has broken leg and Emerton's heart (6) 32 Kind of black ruminant returned (5) 34 Aptelopes from the Big Apple state (6) 36 Not wholly satisfied with short story (5) 37 Serious sister held award (5) 38 Championship winner's cut of beef (7) 40 Mayonnaise included that (3) 41 Confused and passed away around South East (11) DOWN 1 Obligation undertaken whilst in prison? (10) 3 Set off in pursuit, ruined sage and chive (9, two words) 5 Fishes without date, breaks rules (7) 6 Two signs unfinished, because of upsetting language (8)

7 Found on Mayflower's bows — or boughs, by the sound of it! (5)

9 Screen fine crown and candlestick (6) 10 Airmail's total weight (5, hyphened) 14 Assist hirer B (12, two words) 19 Budget profit having two foreign articles to waste (10) 23 Motorway to Tyneside's chief

resort (8) 24 Fortune-teller embraced Saint

David (8) 26 Awfully good notices for sets of eight (7) 31 Wayside plant (not specified) in

flower (5) 35 A sixth sense's unknown, see!

(4)

Solution to 1272: 12 = 56

The unclued lights were six-letter words whose first and second letters were the same as their fifth and sixth.

First prize: Ken Pocock, Lytham St Annes, Lancs. Runners-up: R.J. Green, Aldershot, Hants; Neville Twickel, Shipston-on-Stour.