A first prize of £25 and a bottle of Graham's
Late Bottled Vintage 1989 Port for the first correct solution opened on 20 November, with two runners-up prizes of £15 (or, for UK solvers, the Chamb- ers Dictionary – ring the word `Dictionary'). Entries to: Crossword 1234, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LL.
The unclued I ghts (one hyphened) comprise a key word and two associated quartets.
Name Address ACROSS 8 Armadillo's beginning to bite into vegetable (4) 12 Lads run out to play in rapid waves (10) 13 Zone (poetic) divided by earliest of astrologers (6) 14 See war-god over head? (7) 15 Mixed up dirt RA once depicted (8) 19 Switches round odd pots and slabs (9) 20 Fog eerily veils moulding (4) 21 Crate collection (4) 27 Steep outside edges of hedge, evergreen (6, hyphened) 29 Cross about book ban (4) 30 Jug? Sister bears it round (4) 37 Strain left Rita reeling (8) 39 Three quarters of mixture in French wine kit? (6) 40 One part of Bible styled our sins `trespasses' (10) 41 Blue lira stamp (4) 42 Primitive temper's suppressed by wise man (8, hyphened) DOWN
2 Frogs etc. in air, bounding number (6)
3 Goosefoot's to wither, we're told (5) 4 Trek afoot, Santa works fast (14, five words) 5 Zia's ban ruffled Mandaeans?
(7)
6 Fool around during G & S activities (8, hyphened) 7 Proof of gold townsman picked up in the country (14) 9 Eve's initial haunt? (4) 11 Handled navy in manoeuvring at sea (6) 16 Carnivore, so wanting duck? Exactly! (5) 17 Fish shopaholic must have (4) 22 High seat for each child (5)
23 Norm scowls in sitting-rooms (8)
25 Hail, under gram, began to melt (4
28 Clinch I estimated least powerful (7)
30 Saint cloaks transgressions (6) 31 Nick: tense, busy place lags end in evermore (6) 33 E.g. cineast excitedly comes to see this? (6) 35 Agreed to hold queen bee (5) 36 Titans' mother needs good nursemaid (4)
Solution to 1231: Lens The title (two meanings) suggested the circuit LEGUMINOUS PLANT etc. (from radial 31), with AN EYE-PIECE round the centre.
First prize: Mrs J.D. Crabtree, London SW19, Runners-up: Mrs P.G. Dunn, Sevenoaks, Kent; Ben Stephenson, London SW12.
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