The theme word is scales: 1D, 14 and 40 are creatures with scales; 5, 9 and 17 are musical scales; 13, 34 and 39 all gave their names of scientific scales. 33 was to be highlighted. First prize Mrs D. Selvidge, Vale, Guernsey Runners-up G. Snailham, Windsor; H.A. Hyman, London W1
The five perimeter solutions and 4/30, 17/33, 21/37 and 28/12 are all businesses in Coronation Street. First prize Brian Taylor, Horwich, Bolton Runners-up Sean Smith, Southport; Grizil Hettiarachchi, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
The theme was MURDER SHE WROTE, the long-running TV series starring ANGELA LANSBURY as JESSICA FLETCHER in the corpse-strewn CABOT COVE. The theme could also describe AGATHA CHRISTIE and DOROTHY L. SAYERS. First prize R.A. Towle, Ilkeston, Derbyshire Runners-up M.F. O’Brien, London N12; John M. Brown, Rolleston-on-Dove, Staffordshire
The word is ‘rack’. In the order of the headwords in Chambers, their meanings are indicated by: FRAMEWORK (41), VENGEANCE (4A), DECANT (15D), BONES (1A), GAIT (25), MIST (17), DRINK (42) and SKIN (24). RACK in CRACKED (13) was to be shaded, Title: a further meaning of rack1. First prize Paul Elliott, London W12 Runners-up
The unclued lights are Oxbridge colleges, hence LIGHT AND DARK blue in the title. First prize A.H. Harker, Oxford Runners-up David Morris, Birchington, Kent; D. Bain, Edinburgh
The unclued lights are names of the men who followed Armstrong and Aldrin (Apollo 11) in walking on the moon First prize Glynn Downton, Maidstone, Kent Runners-up D.V. Jones, Llanfair Caereinion, Powys; John Kitchen, Breachwood Green, Herts
5 (the number of GOLD RINGS, from ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’: 34/22A) x 103 (the number of the PSALM (7D) BENEDIC ANIMA MEA: 41/30/1D) x 5 (the number of SYMBOLS AT YOUR DOOR, from ‘Green Grow the Rushes,O’: 3/8/38) = 2575 (the number of the PUZZLE (14)). First prize O.F.G. Phillips, Oxford Runners-up Clive
Each unclued Across light (including the pair at 16/7) is a SWEET and the unclued Down lights can be preceded by SOUR. First prize Steven Lodge, Bridgwater, Somerset Runners-up Diana King, Leeds; A. Weir, Broughty Ferry, Dundee
The preamble referred to ten symmetrically placed unclued entries which spell out CURRENT PUZZLE NUMBER HAS PRIME FACTORS: THIRTY-ONE, EIGHTY-THREE. First prize Bill Stewart, Leicester Runners-up D.P. Shenkin, London WC1; C.S.G Elengorn, Enfield, Middlesex
As suggested by the quotation by John Donne around the perimeter, the other unclued lights were all kinds of trumpets. First prize Ellen Bedford, Sholing, SouthamptonRunners-up Brenda Widger, Bowdon, Cheshire; Martin Joyce, Cumbria
The TEN unclued lights are Scottish islands – or ‘INCHES’. First prize Mrs F.A. Bull, Canterbury Runners-up Susan Hay, Wolverhampton; J. and F. Daniels, Cremorne, NSW, Australia
Arthur C. Clarke (31/45) said that Ernest Hemingway (35/12) won a bet from fellow writers for the shortest story: FOR SALE. BABY SHOES. NEVER WORN. (30/14/15). First prize Nicholas Grandage, London W11 Runners-up Magdalena Deptula, Eton, Berkshire; R.P. Wright, Loughton, Essex
The quotation was ‘I WAS BORN TO SPEAK ALL MIRTH AND NO MATTER’ from Much Ado About Nothing (II.i.321) by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. BEAT/RICE (23D/17) is the speaker and BENE/DICK (12/31) the sparring partner. Title: Much Ado About Nothing in cryptic form. First prize R.R. Alford, Oundle, Peterborough Runners-up Gordon Hobbs, Woodford Green, Essex; Fergus Jamieson,
The unclued lights were characters in Neighbours, paired at 12/19, 14/20, 16/19 and 32/20. First prize Peter Taylor-Mansfield, Worcester Runners-up Dr Wendy Atkin, Sleaford, Lincs; Peter Baldwin, Chorley, Lancs
The unclued lights (including the pairs at 2/14 and 12/36) are names of organ stops which Brewer calls ‘music in themselves’. First prize C.R. Haigh, Hassocks, West Sussex Runners-up Richard Foden, Vésenaz, Switzerland; Michael Pigden, Barnet, Hertfordshire
30 July is Independence Day in Vanuatu in MELANESIA (23D). Its capital city is PORT VILA (39/16), one of its volcanoes is LOPEVI (30), an indigenous reptile is the FLOWERPOT SNAKE (11/36) and its national anthem is YUMI YUMI YUMI (4/43A/43D). Its former name was THE NEW HEBRIDES (diagonally from 1) which must be shaded.
The unclued lights are words (or one phrase) which contain three pairs (3 x 2, in the title) of double letters: 13 Tennessee, 15/14 Sweet tooth, 17/37 Successfully, 21/24/39 Whippoorwill, 31/2 Bookkeeper, 41 Committee, 42/6 Barrenness. First prize Chris Edwards, Leeds Runners-up Graeme Palmer, Switzerland; Emma Corke, Abinger Hammer, Surrey
The unclued lights 11 SOLITARY, 8 POOR, 38 NASTY, 36 BRUTISH and 35 SHORT are descriptions of 1 THE LIFE OF MAN in 26 LEVIATHAN by 13 THOMAS HOBBES. First prize David Andrews, Surrey Runners-up Alexander Caldin, Salford, Oxfordshire; Geoff Hollas, London W12
As suggested by 11 across, the other unclued lights were anagrams of capital cities: 23A Nairobi, 25A Nassau, 29A Lima, 35A Pretoria, 40A Kabul, 2D Seoul, 6D Luanda, 20D San Marino, 28D Nicosia, 31D Manila. First prize Elaine Galloway, London SE6 Runners-up Dennis Cotterell, Carlisle; Wendy Whitelock, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire
The title resolves into CL RVW which suggests the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams. The unclued lights are seven of his compositions: 1A, 1D, 8D, 11A, 15D, 19D/3D and 21D/39A. First prize Julian Prouse, Redditch Runners-up James Bristol, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; Caroline Arms, Ithaca, NY
