Factfinder’s crossword - The Scotsman 08/12/12

Published on 08/12/2012 00:00

Saturday’s puzzle...

Across

1 Malt liquor personified (4,10)

9 A northern constellation, named after the winged horse in Greek mythology (7)

10 Aromatic medium-dry white wine from north-east France (7)

11 Citizens of northern European country (125,098 sq miles; pop about 5 million), independent since 1905 (10)

12 Low islands or reefs (4)

14 A clumsy, stupid, incompetent person (6)

15 Family of plants including fig, breadfruit and Ceara rubber (8)

17 Large west African baboon (8)

19 Old English silver coins, worth 4d (6)

22 Citizen of European country (16,631 sq miles; pop about 5.5. million), which joined the EU in 1973 (4)

23 Relating to Central American country (42,056 sq miles; pop about 14 million), independent since 1821 (10)

25 Spice having a sweet, liquorice-like taste (7)

26 Acute contagious conjunctivitis (4-3)

27 Long arc of small islands in the Caribbean Sea (6,8)

DOWN

1 Oriental tree of the rose family (8,6)

2 William __ (1697-1764), London-born artist and engraver who produced A Rake’s Progress (7)

3 Capital of island federation in the Caribbean Sea (pop 15,000), founded in 1627 by the French (10)

4 John __ (1819-1900), London-born critic, painter and author (6)

5 Canadian provincial capital (pop about 800,000), founded in 1795 as a trading post (8)

6 Johnny __ (1932-2003), US singer-songwriter and actor, known as The Man in Black (4)

7 Free someone from a tiresome responsibility (7)

8 German burgher poets and musicians in the 14th-16th centuries (14)

13 An Australian river fish of the perch family (10)

16 Various flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae (8)

18 A west African palm-civet (7)

20 The great valerian (7)

21 Become involved in a difficult situation in order to help (4,2)

24 Martin __ (b 1942), York-born astrophysicist, appointed Astronomer Royal in 1995 (4)

Last week’s solution:

Across: 1 Samuel Peploe, 8 Operose, 9 Nirling, 11 Ecru, 12 Archdeacon, 14 Tasman, 15 Coalesce, 17 Immature, 19 Stumer, 22 Santa Lucia, 23 Trig, 25 Nargile, 26 Olivier, 27 Thomas Lipton.

Down: Sierras, 2 Moot, 3 Exedra, 4 Pantheon, 5 Parnellite, 6 Oniscus, 7 Robert Wilson, 10 Ginger Rogers, 13 Kantianism, 16 Groupers, 18 Menorah, 20 Marmion, 21 Biloxi, 24 Fiat.