The unclued lights are presenters of BLUE PETER: individually at 39; pairs are 3/2, 7/22, 15A/15D, 15A/17, 25/14, and 32/31, with PETER at 15A doing double duty. First prize C.E. Christison, Edinburgh Runners-up Alison Burban, Turkdean, Gloucestershire; Greg Watson, Great Chesterford, Essex
The quotation is 10/11/39. Remaining unclued lights are all daggers. First prize G. Snailham, Windsor Runners-up Lynne Gilchrist, Willoughby, New South Wales; Kevin Bentley, Anglesey
The word ladder connecting UNITED and STATES goes: UNITES (1D), URITES (18), WRITES (7D), WHITES (34), WHILES (30A), WHALES (7A), SHALES (10), STALES (31). First prize Belinda Bridgen, London NW8 Runners-up Tom Eadon, Melton Mowbray; Tom Richards, Wolfscastle, Pembrokeshire
The unclued Across lights are US state capitals and the unclued Down ones are the states. The title refers to DELAWARE (DE) and its capital DOVER. First prize D.P. Shenkin, London WC1 Runners-up Margaret Lusk, Fulwood, Lancs; Lynne Gilchrist, Willoughby, NSW, Australia
The word is ‘pink’. Definitions of the eight headwords are: CARNATION (9), STAB (43), CHAFFINCH (22D), SMALL SAILING SHIP (41/1A/13), YELLOW LAKE PIGMENT (11/45/14), BLINK (40), SMALL (41) and SAMLET (8). PINK (in the eighth column) was to be shaded. First prize Mrs C.J. Stekly, Guernsey Runners-up Philip Dacre, York; Nick Hussey, Overton, Hants
LIMES (22), a term for a boundary of the ROMAN EMPIRE (7 30), is a DEFINITION (19) of five items reading clockwise in the perimeter. First prize Geoff Telfer, Shipley, W. Yorks Runners-up R.B. Briercliffe, Onchan, Isle of Man; John Light, Applestone, Surrey
The twelve unclued lights can be arranged into the sequence yielding phrases from ‘First’ to ‘Twelfth’. First 21, Second 24, Third 4A, Fourth 37, Fifth 30, Sixth 15A, Seventh 3, Eighth 9, 19 Ninth, Tenth 34D, Eleventh 25, 29 Twelfth. ‘Second’ in the solutions at 8D and 17D indicates the sequence. First prize Norman
On 15 September, Costa Rica, bordered by PANAMA (31) and NICARAGUA (5), and whose capital is SAN JOSÉ (40/10), celebrated its INDEPENDENCE (43) from SPAIN (35). Its main exports are BANANAS (36) and COFFEE (19D) and, unusually, it has no STANDING ARMY (1). CR (in the twelfth column) was to be shaded. First prize Revd
Unclued lights are MOONS OF (1A) SATURN (9), which are OTHERWORLDLY (2). First prize Don Young, Shaw, Oldham Runners-up Samantha Pine, Poole, Dorset; Michael Debenham, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
The unclued lights are DANCES. First prize K.J. Williams, Kings Worthy, Winchester. Runners-up Bridget Workman, Purley;C.S.G Elengorn, Enfield.
The theme was The Wind in the Willows (suggested by the title). RATTY defined 9, 13 and 22; MOLE defined 7, 11 and 16; BADGER defined 3, 31 and 41. MR TOAD was to be highlighted. First prize Steven Reszetniak, Margate, Kent Runners-up R.J. Green, Crickhowell, Powys Alexander Caldin, Houston, Texas
The key phrase is LIKE A TANSY (39). The scientific name of the tansy is TANACETUM VULGARE (4A 12); remaining unclued lights are synonyms of tan (4D, 34), ace (25, 33) and tum (3, 19). First prize Eileen Robinson, Sheffield Runners-up Peter Moody, Fareham, Hants; Mrs L. Ashley, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
The unclued lights and those clued without thematic definition (2, 11, 26, 33 and 42) are Irish forenames. Nuala Considine’s crossword compiling career spanned over 70 years. Doc was privileged to meet her five years ago when Saga magazine invited five British compilers to a photoshoot to accompany an article about the hundredth anniversary of the
The numbers were linked to titles of classic works of FICTION (12): The Two DROVERS (26) (Walter Scott), The Three MUSKETEERS (1D) (Alexandre Dumas (père)), The Thirty-Nine STEPS (34) (John Buchan), The Five RED HERRINGS (36D/5A) (Dorothy L. Sayers), Eight COUSINS (15D) (Louisa M. Alcott) and Five WEEKS IN A BALLOON (14/20) (Jules Verne). 2 x
WUNDERKIND — given by corrections of misprints in clues — can be read as W UNDER KIND, indicating the unclued lights in each of four columns. First prize Cathy Staveley, London SW15 Runners-up Frank Anstis, Truro, Cornwall; S.J.J. Tiffin, Cockermouth, Cumbria
The unclued lights (6, 20/9, 21, 23/31, 30D/13, 34/3 and 42/32) are characters in Coronation Street with its COBBLED streets. First prize Lucy Robinson, London N16 Runners-up D.P.B. West, Birmingham; Roland Rance, London E17
The quotation ‘NEVER (1A), NEVER (35), NEVER (41), NEVER (7), NEVER (32)!’ is from King Lear (V.iii.310). Lear was the FATHER (18) of GONERIL (19), REGAN (15A) and CORDELIA (23). LEAR (in the ninth row) was to be shaded. First prize R.J. Green, Llangynidr, Crickhowell Runners-up Brenda Widger, Altrincham, Cheshire; Alexander Caldin, Houston, Texas
THE RUSSIA HOUSE, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY and A MURDER OF QUALITY are novels by JOHN (41) LE CARRÉ, whose surname is the puzzle’s TITLE (13) in FRENCH (30). First prize Ian Webster, Craven Arms, Shropshire Runners-up Angus Ross, Old Portsmouth, Hampshire; Samantha Pine, Poole, Dorset
GARDEN (at 46 Across) reveals the theme. Paired solutions are ‘gardens’ in ‘countries’; 8/10, 32/1D, 33/28+29, 12/36, 37/34, 38/2, and 41 on its own. First prize Helen Stone, Horfield, Bristol Runners-up Jenny Atkinson, Amersham, Bucks; Sara Macintosh, Darlington, Co. Durham
WEIN (2D) suggests 21, 35 and 37 (German wines); WEIB suggests 10, 25 and 42 (Germanic female names); GESANG suggests 14, 27 and 31 (German-speaking composers of sung works). STRAUSS, highlighted, composed the waltz Wein, Weib und Gesang. First prize P.G. Hampton, Wimborne, Dorset Runners-up Roy Robinson, Sheffield; Jenny Mitchell, Croscombe, Somerset
