Round the perimeter clockwise from 1 run six lights of a kind (7,9,10,9,9,8): if the grid were a 13/12, they might collectively suggest the title of a song famously 22 19 years ago. Corner letters are held in STRONG REGARD. A relevant name (5) will appear in the completed grid and must be shaded. Elsewhere, ignore an apostrophe.
Across
9 More tea or coffee? (5)
10 Soccer tactic went awry in no-score draw (6, hyphened)
11 A Spring Sunday: time ducks returned (7)
15 Gosh! It’s somebody on 70 curatives (10)
16 Aunt Sally? (8, two words)
20 I write sermon outside brothel (7)
21 Excellent force rejects my detective kit (5)
23 Game Poirot’s fifth day out with DI (3)
26 Water pump Dumpynose talked about? (3)
30 Clued up puzzle finally (after a struggle) (5)
32 Chap will chuck up virago (7)
33 Lotos-like flower mullethead ingests (5)
34 Idealist revolutionised autopilots – look out! (8)
35 Pickled pears half prostrate visiting gnomists (10)
37 Lochless Hebridean island? Golly! (4, two words)
38 Shiite leader once more not in inn (7, two words)
39 Wife capsized ancient uncle’s rowing boat (6)
40 Songbird fluttering over island (5)
Down
2 The last word in active servants (4)
3 A way to certify lunatic rationally (10)
4 Croaking frog edging away into yonder yard (7)
5 Set free old East German held by the French (5)
6 Less good arguments for changing solvents (8)
7 Control of spacecraft’s movement (7, hyphened)
8 Pascal once pinched a hat (6)
14 Counter records only fifty (5)
17 Scholar collects unknown molluscs (3)
18 Book the Auld Kirk for the Irish gig (10, hyphened)
24 Spahee endlessly cooked bangers (5)
25 Every goal from Motherwell is welcome (7, hyphened)
27 Form of ten say I’s a vertical line (5, hyphened)
28 Zealot regularly scrubbed little pig (3)
29 Woman such as boosted wild parties (7)
31 Wretched Prince Albert catches cold (6)
34 Asian zillionaires primarily live in Britain (5)
36 Sound of pet mule? (4)
A first prize of £30 for the first correct solution opened on 28 April. 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 2157, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP. Please allow six weeks for prize delivery.
Comments