Fieldfare

Unclued lights, five of two words and two pairs, have something in common. Elsewhere, ignore one accent.

Unclued lights name a man born on 18 May; his position; his son; and (singly or correctly paired, two of two words) some of his predecessors. One unclued light does double duty.

Unclued lights are a set of literary 40s. Their creator is hidden in the grid and should be shaded. Elsewhere, ignore one accent.   Across 1    How ducks eat, billions in valley (6) 7    In college, record time to take degree (6) 11    Garden visitor, immature female, tiny size (10) 13    Cleave small, timid mammal (5) 14    Freeman’s compliance with new role (5) 15    Awaiting insurance, ripped off?

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT   Unclued lights were names of GHOST STORIES by M.R. (MONTAGUE RHODES) JAMES: CASTING (1A) THE (29) RUNES (10); THE TREASURE OF (9A) ABBOT (58) THOMAS (100); THE TRACTATE (42) MIDDOTH (33); OH WHISTLE (43) AND I’LL (68) COME TO YOU (1D) MY LAD (24); THE STALLS OF (44) BARCHESTER (115) CATHEDRAL (82); THE ROSE (77) GARDEN (22); THE MEZZOTINT (79); CANON (83) ALBERIC’S (11) SCRAPBOOK (8);THE ASH-TREE (107); and COUNT (110) MAGNUS (89).   WINNERS The first prize of £100, three prizes of £25 and six further prizes of Secret Service Brain Teasers by Sinclair McKay (Headline) go to the following. The first four winners will each also be sent a bottle of champagne.   First prize Margaret Almond, Southampton   Runners-up P.J. and E.F.

Unclued lights (six of two words, one of three), correctly linked, make ten members of a seasonal set, one light doing multiple duty. Ignore one hyphen and two apostrophes. Nineteen across clues contain a superfluous word; initial letters of these words in clue order form the full name of the creator. The name of the genre is hidden in ten squares in the grid and should be shaded.     A first prize of £100, three prizes of £25 and six further prizes of Secret Service Brain Teasers by Sinclair McKay (Headline) will be awarded for the first correct solutions opened. The first four winners will each also receive a bottle of champagne. Entries by 14 January to: Christmas Crossword, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP.

Unclued lights, singly or correctly paired, are of a kind, as given in Chambers. Ignore one apostrophe.   Across 5    Maiden admitting born overseas originally, not in Danish city (6) 11    Author’s note on leader of band (6) 13    Sort of thinking muscle real troublesome (7) 15    Old royal servant, one that looks to captivate women (5) 16    Tragic heroine misses artist, not in office yet (5) 17    Tropical veg regularly feed herbivores (6) 18    A rector ruined can’t function (6) 21    One taken in by eccentric vagrant (5) 22    Shelf with enough strength after soak (7) 28    Wild about education, like the US government?

2 describes a pair of unclued lights (three words altogether), which in turn include the others.   Across 12    Single by pop group: ‘Go for violent crime’ (8) 13    Beast’s sardonic-sounding refusal (5) 14    Wing and tail feathers missing one month (8) 16    Book I inscribed for myself? (4) 20    Will’s to resurrect a year’s work (6) 21    Dealer’s only rule: concealing clubs (6) 22    A positive plan backfires, that’s plain (5) 24    Not long before one pleasure of paradise?

Unclued lights make five pairs with something in common.   Across 1    Fragrant nuts announced (5) 4    Neat workers secure line for pole holding basket (9, hyphened) 9    Unsuitable papal rooms exchanged (10) 11    Incitement to hold round dance (5) 15    Proud to pull tons (5) 21    I waited outside as daughter went for some clothes (8) 22    Secret group, leaderless, keeps a team away from main branch (7) 24    Buffalo product, hot, full of goodness?

Unclued lights form three sets of three, each set related in a different way to a theme-word which is hidden in the grid and should be highlighted.

Unclued lights are connected to a theme word (which does not appear), three in each of three different senses. Two clued lights form an anagram of a name associated with the theme and should be highlighted.   Across 8    Gulls escape through a hedge (4) 12    Manager almost cut American scientist (10) 13    Remove stain from tyrant?

Clockwise round the grid run six of a kind (one of three words and one three-word pair). Other unclued lights show where you might find others of their kind. Unchecked corner letters could give PLAY-DEN PLANK.

Procne (37D), Tereus (23D), Scylla (19D) and Arachne (30D) were all given as anagrams, as was Ovid (42D). Daphne (1D) changed to laurel, and Niobe (7A) to stone, as in the Metamorphoses (45A).   First prize Stephen Saunders, Midford, Bath Runners-up R. Wightman, Ilkley, W.

The shared name was PERRY (18), shared by GRAYSON (28) Perry and Perry MASON (2). GP, whose alter ego is CLAIRE (3), is a TURNER (32) Prize winner. PM is a lawyer created by Erle Stanley GARDNER (27); Della STREET (10) is PM’s secretary and Paul DRAKE (37) is his private investigator. PERRY was to be shaded.   First prize Frank Anstis, Truro. Runners-up Les Verth, Newton Mearns, Glasgow; Chris Butler, Borough Green, Kent.

The unclued lights (ignore two apostrophes and an umlaut) are of a kind, as verified in Brewer.