Crossword solution

The unclued lights are pairs of anagrams: 5/32, 6D/25, 11/30, 18&33/3, 19/39, 28/8. First prize Margaret Shiels, Edinburgh Runners-up Archie Batra, Ealing; Christopher Coleman, Cheltenham, Glos

Written about AUSTRALIA – ‘I LOVE A SUNBURNT COUNTRY/ A LAND OF SWEEPING PLAINS’ – is taken from DOROTHEA MACKELLAR’s ‘My Country’, first published in The Spectator in 1908. First prize Ruth Dixon, Oxford Runners-up Bill Ellison, Caversham, ReadingJ.E. Smith, Bridge of Allan, Stirling

The four anagrams were 1A TROUNCES (defined by 7 BEATS), 12 COUNTERS (27 PARRIES), 21 CONSTRUE (10 INTERPRET) and 25 RECOUNTS (13 RELATES) First prize Lisa Bramley, Shaldon, Devon Runners-up Nick Huntley, Darlington; Lewis Osborne, Newton Mearns, Glasgow

The unclued lights are the names of the principal members of the Spectator crossword compiling team since its inception in July 1981. 7 Across reveals JAC and DOC, while Mass appears in the red squares. The yellow squares can be arranged to spell La Jerazana. First prize Tim and Cathy Knox, London WC1N Runners-up Julian

Bertrand RUSSELL, whose surname is hidden in the final column, said, ‘There’s a BIBLE on that shelf there. But I keep it next to VOLTAIRE – POISON and ANTIDOTE.’ The other four unclued lights are two synonyms each of ‘poison’ (VENOM, TOXIN) and ‘antidote’ (MITHRIDATE, SERUM). First prize  Rhiannon Hales, Ilfracombe, Devon Runners-up  Paul Harrison,

Twelve unclued entries can be paired to make six portmanteau words: CHILLAX (CHILL + RELAX), MOTEL (MOTOR + HOTEL), DRAMEDY (DRAMA + COMEDY), BLOG (WEB + LOG), FRENEMY (FRIEND + ENEMY) and COSPLAY (COSTUME + PLAY). First prize Stephen Rea, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire Runners-up Brenda Widger, Altrincham, Cheshire Michael Moran, Penrith, Cumbria

The unclued lights are fielding positions in cricket. First prize Gillian Ollerenshaw, Altrincham, Cheshire Runners-up Richard Thorpe, Burntwood, Staffordshire; Fran Morrison, London SW15

The unclued lights have all won the Pier of the Year award. First prize John Liddicoat, Swanage, Dorset Runners-up Rosamund Campbell, Woodstock, Oxon; C.J. Malone, Dumfries

The words are ‘bomb’ (suggested by BLOCKBUSTER (1A) and EGG (7A)), ‘comb’ (SLADE (18A) and DISENTANGLE (41A)) and ‘tomb’ (SHRINE (20A) and SPEOS (10D)). Together they form EYE-RHYMES (40A-25D) only. OMBRE (31D) is to be shaded. First prize Neville Twickel, Shipston-on-Stour, Warks Runners-up Seonaid Chapman, Brampton, Cumberland; Kenneth Mills, Londonderry

The unclued lights each contain E as their only vowel four times. Down solutions at 4, 5 and 36 include three Es and those at 6, 10 and 38 include two Es. First prize Alison Howard, Tunbridge Wells Runners-up A.C.R. Bull, Canterbury; Wyn Lewis, Carmarthen

Triplets related to 38 WELLINGTON were 4A, 13 and 26 (WW2 bombers): 11, 27 and 32 (boots) and 1D, 12 and 31 (New Zealand cities). First prize Jude Wilson, Surbiton, Surrey Runners-up Sarah Darlington, Acton Trussell, Stafford; Sharon Harris, Hadlow, Tonbridge, Kent

The title hinted that the twelve unclued entries were six (symmetrically) ‘matched’ pairs of ‘mixed’ anagrams. First prize Glyn Watkins, Middle Deepdale, Scarborough Runners-up Gill Wayne, London SW9; Arabella Woodrow, Riddlesden, W. Yorks 

The unclued lights are stations on the Far North railway line from Inverness to Thurso and Wick. First prize Lesley Gibbons, Twickenham Runners-up Peter Dean, London W8; David Carpenter, Sutton Coldfield

Unclued lights were fictional HOUSES (‘Some Addresses’). Paired lights were HOWARDS END and BAG END (The Hobbit). First prize J. Anson, Birmingham Runners-up Laura Gould, Edinburgh; Mydrim Jones, London WC1B

The seven unclued pairs are BENSON/HEDGES, COUNTRY/WESTERN, TIME/TIDE, MUSCAT/OMAN, TWEEDLEDUM/TWEEDLEDEE, DUMFRIES/GALLOWAY and BITS/BOBS. First prize Roland Rance, London E17 Runners-up Daniel Angel, Twickenham, Middlesex; Heather McLaren, Seaford, East Sussex

The unclued announcement from BBC1’s Pointless quiz is: ‘We gave one hundred people one hundred seconds to name as many cats as they could’. The other three unclued lights are CATS – as well as 25 Across! First prize Jenny Atkinson, Amersham, Bucks Runners-up Peter Turner, Bearsden, Glasgow; Colin Boyce, Heathfield, East Sussex

The unclued lights are the ten councils which form the Greater Manchester Authority. First prize Sarah Warburton, London SE3 Runners-up Paul Voogt, Horley, Surrey; Louisa Magrath, London W3

The theme-word is SMITH which can be preceded by GOLD (24A), LADY (37A), HAMMER (3D), BLACK (5D) and SILVER (22D). The pertinent quotation ‘A mighty man is he’ at 9D comes from The Village Blacksmith by Longfellow. BLACK had to be shaded. First prize Andy Grady, Tutbury, Staffs Runners-up Steve Reszetniak, Margate, Kent; Oenone Green,

The unclued lights (with the pair at 41/2) include the colours of the RAINBOW, as confirmed by 24 Across. First prize Roslyn Shapland, Ilkeston, Derbyshire Runners-up C.G. Millin, Ramleaze, Wilts; Susan Hay, Wolverhampton

The unclued lights were odes by Keats and Shelley. The title could sound like ‘Some Addresses’. First prize Peter Wreford, Cambridge Runners-up Angela Tebbutt, West Caister, Norfolk; Anthony Harker, Oxford