CROSSWORD

A first prize of 130 and a bottle of Graham's award-winning Late- Bottled Vintage Port for the first correct solution opened on 20 December, with two runners-up prizes of £20 (or, for UK solvers, the latest edit' on of The Chambers Dictionary — ring the word `Dicronary'). Entries o: Crossword 1442, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LL.

The unclued lights, including one of two words and one hyphened word, are connected by a theme. Elsewhere, ignore two accents in solution.

Name Address ACROSS

I Balmoral should have one (8)

8 Costs a score (minimum) (4) 12 Love to interpret old language

(5)

14 Greek girl's sorbet (7) 16 Reptiles in wingless Fife castle

(4) 17

Virginia going round so far on

line by Tube? (5) 22 Boric acid fool's fed to crazed

lions (8) 23 Blockhead, knave on donkey (7) 24 Cross about chap in tree (6) 25 Thinly scattered drop of snow in opening (6) 27 Fugitive from crown in eastern spot (7 29 Marshal buried in Malibu cemetery (8)

33 Girl with lasso roping nag's head (6)

34 Drunk started smoking (5, two words) 35 Old man has five old peacocks (4) 37 Repulsive type (off head) passes on solvents (7) 38 One has wild urge to fight (5) 39 Mature bloke manipulated right stirrer (12) 41 Competently restricts hot water over in hall (8)

DOWN

1 Muddy, hall after Sunday (6) 2 American seized by hands is calm (4) 3 Card game little Charles discovered during summer in Paris (6) 4 Mac's one with talent, securing piece of earthenware of a shiny bronze colour (7) 6 Carry on being fresh, cuddling sister (7) 7 Flowers in bars, a large amount (11) 8 Greek characters surrounding navy vessels (5)

10

John's turned up at home of

Russian leader (6) 13 Trigonometric function -

cotangent involves second one (8) 19 Served, laid out hot dogs (10) 21 Animal with no feet, distressed

in SA tree (9) 26 Device that promotes quiet in

one organ after another (7) 28 Flatters oarsmen (7) 29 Governor, about 50, in charge

of a Celtic tribe (6) 30 Ignorant — number in one Indian village (6) 32 Bit of cash in safe, money from Ecuador (5) 36 Coal, perhaps, impaired flue (4)

Solut'on to 1439: Tacky

Signs of the equine ailme its at 18/3, 37, 22/40, 6D, 8 and 29 are unlikely to be seen in the work of George STUBBS (31).

First prize: Hugh F. Thomas, Felixstowe, Suffolk. Runners-up: Cynthia Gee, East Sussex; Andreas Fabian, South Oxfordshire.