Eight unclued lights, two of which consist of two words, are of a kind.
Across
11 Science revolutionised by hoeing tool (12)
12 Purple tips of leaves in late autumnal colours (5)
16 Silence over women’s conduct (4)
17 Litter beginning to shock Dane when cycling (5)
18 Esoteric clothing of Orphic sect (6)
22 Levanters perhaps obliterating first small then large restaurants (8)
23 Turned back time in impressive tower (7)
25 Greenpeace and WWF perhaps protecting fine antipodean trees (6)
27 Republican and Democrat abandoning respectability for novelty (7)
29 Retired, living mostly on wine in Pacific capital (4,4)
33 Leaders of Triple Alliance temporarily given power (6)
34 Idle harlot periodically sold drugs (5)
35 Lake is inaccessible place, but not unknown (4)
37 Nonplussed, making negative profit (2,1,4)
38 Fibre in prunes is a laxative (5)
39 Abusing pill, lacerate part of stomach wall (8,4)
40 Bachelor left, crapulous and weeping (4)
41 Chum came across hollow tangelo tree (8)
Down
1 Chap collapsed with cry of pain (6)
2 Wingless ratite mating (2,2)
3 Messes lover about, seized by suspicion (6)
4 Crowded passenger vehicle stopping at Land’s End firstly (7)
5 Poacher likes theft to be sporting (4,6)
6 Part of sharia law, it enthuses Shiite (7)
7 Chucks claret clumsily over top of woody plant (7-4)
8 Old university dons suffering from fever (5)
9 Moral decline of northern church after the 60s? (9)
10 Fuss, and perhaps lust, over handsome youth (6)
13 Account of the moon is gripping yet initially gappy (8)
20 Very large lady eating bananas with case of Sauternes (8)
26 Liaises about frequently partitioned area of Europe (7)
28 Penetrate almost all of the digestive tract (7)
29 Extremely polite old boy’s thrown up in boat (6)
30 Picked up rank fish (6)
32 American friend keeps quiet (5)
36 Stop Labour’s leader entering Balmoral? (4)
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A first prize of a £30 John Lewis voucher and two runners-up prizes of £20 vouchers for the first correct solutions opened on 2 March. Please scan or photograph entries and email them (including the crossword number in the subject field) to crosswords@spectator.co.uk, or post to: Crossword 2739, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP.
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