In Ian Fleming’s DR NO (35D) JAMES BOND (21D) orders a MEDIUM VODKA (20A, 29D) DRY MARTINI (7A, 13A),SHAKEN (12D) and NOT STIRRED (19D) First prize Valerie Fish, Whittlesey, Cambs Runners-up Paul Billington, Blackburn, Lancashire; Mike Carter, Kirkby Overblow, Harrogate
Eight entries possess ‘titular properties’ in two ways. First, they are unclued! Second, they, as per the title CLUE.LESS.NESS, can all be divided into three-word charades: COMP.UTERI.SING, TRIST.RAMS.HANDY, SCRUB.BING.BOARD, ENIGMA.TIC.ALLY, BLESS.THIS.HOUSE, SEVER.ALF.OLD, GRAVE.YARD.SHIFT and DISC.OUR.SING. First prize Leslie Verth, Newton Mearns, Glasgow Runners-up J.E. Green, St Albans, Herts; Sue Pounder, Ashton under Lyne, Greater Manchester
The unclued lights reveal the titles of six Westerns: 1A, 1D/38/26, 18/5/43, 20/11, 23 and 45/24. First prize Basia Jones, London WC1 Runners-up Michael Crapper, Whitchurch, Hants; Geoff Hollas, London W12
Unclued lights are cats of noted people and in literature and popular culture and feature in the same entry in Brewer, p242/243 20th edition. First prize Mike Whiteoak, Barkingside, Ilford Runners-up Sue Topham, Elston, Nottinghamshire; Francis Wheen, Pleshey, Essex
The quotation, taken from the King James BIBLE (Matt. 6.29; Luke 12.27), is ‘SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY WAS NOT ARRAYED LIKE ONE OF THESE’. The three unclued lights are types of lily: ARUM (16D), FRITILLARY (17D) and TIGER (31D). First prize Peter Hampton, Wimborne, Dorset Runners-up Maureen Quarmby, Oldham; Sue Dyson, Stockport, Cheshire
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
