The unclued lights can be arranged into a chain of anagrams of 3 to 11 letters in length, with the addition of one letter step by step. Across 7 Towboat capsized in channel (3) 11 Contain grease once (6) 13 Against work — was perplexed (7) 15 Bender on river (5) 16 Two flowers
The unclued lights are characters from The Goon Show. The paired solutions are 22/20, 32/35 and 37/9. First prize Phillip Wickens, Penrith, Cumbria Runners-up Richard Snailham, Windsor; Roger King, Twickenham, Middlesex
The unclued lights, (one individually, one of two words and three pairs), are of a kind. Across 4 Popular executive having brush with copper can’t be condoned (11) 12 Left back’s round, round body (5) 13 Artless pastor immersed in revenue probe (11) 14 It’s steady to be unsteady
The unclued lights are foreign cities, as known in their own countries. First prize Vicky Thomas, Apokoronas, Crete Runners-up Mrs F. Brimacombe, Bideford, Devon; Gerry Fairweather, Layer Marney, Essex
The unclued lights (one of two words) are of a specific kind. Ignore all accents. Across 1 H-E-X? (5) 4 Series of numbers causing confab about 1 and 101 (9) 10 In an alienating way, first disproving 4 = 4. See? (10) 11 Shaver heard to be one on the way up? (6) 14
The twenty-two lochs which did not fit into the grid are, in order of their appearance in the story: Ainort, Awe, Eynort, Katrine, Eck, Nevis, Sunart, Cluanie, Eil, Hourn, Assynt, Maree, Melfort, Affric, Long, Tummel, Frisa, Treig, Tuath, Striven, Ericht, Alsh. First prize Charles Hastings, Upper Woolhampton, Berks Runners-up David Carpenter, Sutton Coldfield; Roderick
The solutions to numbered lights are the words missing from the story. The unclued lights are the names of twenty-two Scottish lochs. However, forty-four names of lochs appear in the story, all of which are hidden or appear in jumbled form in the story. Solvers are not required to list the ‘discarded’ lochs. I
The unclued lights are headwords in Brewer under the SEVEN heading. The title indicates the sum ‘2114 divided by 302 = 7’ and so solvers had to include ‘7’ or ‘seven’ alongside their submitted solution. First prize Frank Maslen, London SW1 Runners-up Andrew James, Winchester; Dolf Mootham, Aldeburgh, Suffolk
The unclued lights (two of three and one of two words), when preceded by the same word which solvers must include along with their completed grid, can be verified in Brewer. Across 9 Small cafe spoken of in ski-lift (4, hyphened) 11 Computer functions ’til a server crashes (10) 16
The unclued lights are the four members of ABBA (which means ‘father’), at 11/21, 12/40, 16/7 and 39/10. First prize Jason James, Cambridge Runners-up Mark Rowntree, London SE10; David Lumley, London SW5
When paired, the unclued lights (one hyphened) are of a kind. Ignore two accents. (The solution at 15D is not listed in Chambers and that at 36D only at its definition.) Across 3 Global popularity of a lecturer in Keele, say (12) 13 Covered pathways badly made inside, unfortunately (8) 18
The unclued lights are the surnames of the London WORTHIES, which had to be highlighted along the top row. First prize Eleanor Parker, Broadstairs, Kent Runners-up Roger Baresel, London SW7; D.G. Page, Orpington, Kent
The unclued lights are of a kind, verifiable in an entry in Brewer. Solvers are required to highlight an eight-letter headword from this entry in the completed grid. Elsewhere, ignore all accents. Across 8 Tax break (4) 12 Clamour of duchy near to collapse (9, three words) 14 Name-board of excellent eatery cut back
Monty Python’s Flying Circus (38/12/5) gave rise to 1D, 19 and 36/28 which starred 7 and 34 and Eric IDLE (puzzle’s title). First prize Mrs M.C. Conway, Sale, Manchester Runners-up Chris Edwards, Pudsey, Leeds; Margaret Lusk, Preston, Lancs
Each of the four paired lights (at 1A/4, 13/14, 30/31 and 32/33) forms a RIGHT ANGLE which is the solution in each case. Four right angles equal THREE SIXTY DEGREES (the solutions at 23/40/15), thus making the FULL CIRCLE of the title. First prize R.R. Alford, Oundle, Peterborough Runners-up Jenny Atkinson, Little Chalfont, Bucks; Lewis
A trio of unclued lights (four words, one with an apostrophe) gave rise to another trio found in four further unclued lights (eight words in total), all of which featured the two remaining unclued lights. Across 1 Suspect fine spray having corrosion (8) 9 Assessment of arrangement of a tune and a viol (10)
The unclued lights formed from the anagrams of the Lover’s Knot clues are boys’ and girls’ names, entered at consecutive solutions, as follows: 1D/2; 15/18; 21A/23; 27/30; 29/31. First prize Vivienne Pyatt, Arkesden, Essex Runners-up S.L. Jordan, Didcot, Oxon; Fiona and Jean Daniels, Sydney, Australia
Four pairs of unclued lights (5,5) represent their solutions and together equal the remaining trio of unclued lights. Across 5 Student of mental disorders or ufos? (8) 10 Relative from BR or ER, apparently (11, hyphened) 11 Doctor’s verdict, a dosing is in order (9) 12 Deal with work in church (4) 17 Composer
The unclued lights are presented in the form of the Lover’s Knots below. Each ‘Knot’ can be unravelled into two words which are connected only for the purposes of this puzzle. These are then to be entered in the grid, always as pairs of consecutive lights. LOVER’S KNOT CLUES a) A thin bride b)
The unclued lights are six US composers, at 4 and 24, and the pairs at 9/11, 21A/32, 25/16 and 35/3. First prize Jed Brignal, Nottingham Runners-up Alan Hook, York; Lewis Corner, South Fremantle, Western Australia