Eight unclued lights are of a kind.
Across
5 Al Gore eats by the truckload (6)
9 Dim and confused, fell in and died (3-7)
14 Boxer from Hayle is oddly knocked out (3)
16 Case of invertebrate found in hydrochloric acid (6)
17 March with nudists’ leader in buff (5)
18 Tramp about with stupid person (5)
20 Induced naked coward to take up arms (2,2,3)
22 Passionate female parted, leaving son (7)
24 Just cooked books after bad deal with European (2,5)
25 Horse wearing bridle is a runner (5)
26 Am not ultimately lofty in any way (2,3)
31 Boozer with vacuous air and extremely dubious guts (7)
33 Caught fathom-deep fish (3,4)
37 Two kings in contact with a Scandinavian capital (5)
38 Plan to return Monique’s or Kitty’s call (5)
39 Shy lass hides in blanket (6)
40 Scoundrel runs after copper (3)
43 Intended one’s bed to be stripped in interim (8)
Down
1 A bag of spiders agitated transient visitor (4,2,7)
2 In the morning everyone turned up and fleeced South American (5)
3 Fisherman is reportedly more sensible (6)
4 Yankee periodically libelled Grant (5)
6 Deport a criminal, one taking another’s child (7)
7 Native Americans in Ohio refuse to comply with Washington (6)
11 Old hardware flying about? (9)
12 Honest description of blond Conservative (4,3,6)
13 Write article following case of nightmare drug (8)
15 Cry of companion buried under rocks (7)
23 Harry constantly going round British seat (7)
27 Outflow from choppy lake over time (7)
29 Engage core muscles, or start to buckle (6)
30 Crooked financier heartlessly absconded (6)
32 Unanimously vote against beginning to censor people retrospectively (3,3)
34 Plant that’s mechanised in part (5)
35 Island covered in fish bones (5)
36 Too regularly missing allusion (4)
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A first prize of £30 and two runners-up prizes of £20 for the first correct solutions opened on 4 December. 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 2681, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP. Please note the early deadline for entries which is because of the Christmas printing schedule.
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