Crossword solution

Unclued lights are all sweet wines. WESTERNISED, an anagram of DESSERT WINE, was to be highlighted. &nbsp First prize Erin Barrack, Beeston, Nottinghamshire Runners-up Jane F.

The unclued lights are LAND OF (25A): MILK AND HONEY (11A), CAKES (12A), HOPE AND GLORY (39A), ENCHANTMENT (7D), MY FATHERS (9D) and BEULAH (29D).   First prize Adam Hughes, Liverpool Runners-up Richard Stone, Barton under Needwood, Staffordshire; J.P.

Each unclued light contains a SILENT letter (with 11 containing two). First prize P.L.

The word was ‘pale’, suggested by PEELIE-WALLY (1A) and the title, which, with changes to its FIRST VOWEL (7D/33), becomes ‘Pele’ (suggested by VOLCANO GODDESS (22/27)), ‘pile’ (LOADSAMONEY (41)), ‘pole’ (STANG (31)) and ‘pule’ (WHINE (10)). PALE (in the ninth column) was to be shaded. A first prize of £30 for the first correct solution opened on 12 August. There are two runners- up prizes of £20. (UK solvers can choose to receive the latest edition of the Chambers dictionary instead of cash — ring the word ‘dictionary’.) Entries to: Crossword 2418, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP. Please allow six weeks for prize delivery. First prize R.P.

Conrad HILTON (2), Michael WILDING (37), Mike TODD (24), Eddie FISHER (3), Richard BURTON (30), John WARNER (31) and Larry FORTENSKY (40) were all married to ELIZABETH TAYLOR (4A/17).   First prize Frank Whiteman, Eastbourne, East Sussex Runners-up Isaac Thompson, Urmston, Manchester; Mrs E.

The unclued lights are EPISCOPAL SIGNATURES   First prize Jason James, Cambridge Runners-up K.M.

On 15th June 1919 John ALCOCK (34) and Arthur BROWN (37) completed the first non-stop transatlantic flight when they crash-landed near CLIFDEN, COUNTY GALWAY (46/9) in a VICKERS VIMY (23/25), having taken off from ST JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND (10/13) the previous day.

The unclued lights are famous LEFT-HANDED people.

First prize Susan Edouard, Bexhill-on-Sea Runners-up Joan Sutton, Canterbury, Kent; Harry Duff, Machen, Caerphilly.

The unclued lights are all hybrid animals whose names are formed by combining the names of the two original animals.   First prize Miriam Moran, Pangbourne, Berkshire Runners-up David Carpenter, Sutton Coldfield; Dr R.J.

Unclued lights are TSAR (12) NICHOLAS (5A), his son ALEXEI (33), and his predecessors PETER (3) and CATHERINE (20) THE GREAT (23), BORIS (35) GODUNOV (21) and IVAN THE (6) TERRIBLE (43).

The unclued lights (with the pair at 37/26) are orchestral CONDUCTORS.

The group is ‘Les Nabis’ (anagram of ALBINESS (18)). Its members were VALLOTTON, DENIS, ROUSSEL, RANSON, SÉRUSIER, BONNARD and VUILLARD. The seminal work was THE TALISMAN (appearing diagonally from row thirteen). THE TALISMAN was to be shaded.

DEVILS at 33D (its ‘essence’ is ‘EVIL’) is linked with ‘Malevolence’ (13) and ‘Roguish’ (19) and Devil’s CANDLESTICK (1), ON HORSEBACK (3), LIVERY (7), DOOR (14), SHOESTRINGS (17), ELBOW (27), APPLES (29) and ISLAND (32).   First prize F.A.

The first and second letters of the unclued lights are the same as the third and fourth ones. All the solutions are words or one phrase eight letters long. ARARAT at 32 Down matches the pattern but is only six-letters in length and had to be highlighted.   First prize D.

The second and fourth letters of six unclued lights gave abbreviations of the states forming New England: ACATER (13) Connecticut, ERNIE (24) Rhode Island, AMBEROID (27) Maine, ANCHOS (1D) New Hampshire, KVETCHED (22) Vermont and SMEAR (34) Massachusetts. NAG/LEND (17/36) is an anagram of ENGLAND suggesting ‘New England’.   First prize Mike Conway, Grantham, Lincs Runners-up John Sparrow, Padbury, Bucks; G.H.

BOYCOTT (24), GOWER (25), MAY (40), GRACE (2), STRAUSS (23), HAMMOND (27), CLOSE (34), and ROOT (36) have all held the England Test CAPTAINCY which solvers had to highlight.

The unclued lights are ACCENTS or DIACRITICAL SIGNS and any appearing on letters in the grid had to be ignored.   First prize Professor Colin Ratledge, E. Yorkshire Runners-up V.A. Plomer, Swindon; B.

The preamble suggests that unclued entries are partial anagrams of UNCLUED. The ‘repeated cryptic clue (= anagram of CLUE)’ ‘fixes not only’ LUCE ‘but also’ the central 2x2 block as [CE/LU] and ‘as a result’ LUNE.

The unclued lights form the folk rhyme ‘Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar-man, thief’.  A.A. Milne (MILNE had to be highlighted) used this as the basis for Cherry-Stones, (9d) though the beggar-man became a ploughboy. Milne’s next five jobs are also mentioned in various clues.