THE PRIZE CROSSWORD

There’s an amazing £1,500 prize for the first correct solution drawn at random in our general knowledge Prize Crossword. Entries must arrive by Friday, January 26 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, February 11. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter. ACROSS 10 Requiring secret knowledge to be understood, mysterious (6) 11 The composition of dance steps and sequences for ballet and stage dancing (12) 12 A state of the central US, in the Midwest on Lake Erie, nicknamed the Buckeye State (4) 13 --- limo, a limousine that has been lengthened to provide extra passenger seating (7) 14 In meteorology, the appearance of unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean occurring every few years (2,4) 15 A system of writing for the blind, consisting of raised dots that can be interpreted by touch (7) 16 Captain of England’s rugby union team who led England to the World Cup final in 1991 (4,7) 20 Large, predatory, freshwater fish with pointed heads and strong teeth (4) 21 A temporary way of dealing with a problem or satisfying a need (7) 22 American record company founded by Berry Gordy Jr as Tamla Records in 1959 (6) 23 The coat of wool that covers the body of a sheep or similar animal (6) 25 An expression of enthusiastic approval or approbation (7) 27 A cold dessert made from a fruit puree with cream or custard (4) 28 American tennis player who won the women’s singles titles at the 1979 and 1981 US Opens (5,6) 29 A state in East Europe on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov (7) 32 The grounds and buildings of a university (6) 35 A city in East Central Sweden, location of Sweden’s oldest university (7) 36 Oily, aromatic, resinous substance used for healing and soothing (4) 37 Sweets with a spongy texture, typically consisting of sugar, water and gelatine (12) 38 Alan ---, English mathematician who led a team of codebreakers at Bletchley Park during World War II (6) DOWN 1 US playwright whose works included Death Of A Salesman and the screenplay for the 1961 film The Misfits (6,6) 2 Adherent of James II after his overthrow in 1688 (8) 3 Small, predatory mammal with reddish-brown fur, an elongated body and neck and short legs (6) 4 A natural earth used as a yellow or red pigment (5) 5 Seaside resort in West Sussex, once home to Oscar Wilde and Harold Pinter (8) 6 Marine molluscs such as octopuses, squid and cuttlefish (11) 7 A fit of fever or shivering and chills (4) 8 A medieval armoured leather glove (8) 9 The front part of the lower leg (4) 17 To confess or acknowledge a crime or mistake (5) 18 A very large, heavy breed of dog with a flat, coarse, usually black coat (12) 19 Comic opera in three acts by Donizetti, first performed in 1843 (3,8) 21 Ancient Biblical kingdom that was a rich trading nation (5) 24 An inclination to retreat from unpleasant reality through diversion or fantasy (8) 26 A highly-politicised leftist form of theatre which originated in 1920s Europe (8) 27 Gustave – – –, 19th Century French writer best known for his first published novel, Madame Bovary (8) 30 Brightly-coloured, nonaggressive, venomous snakes of South and South East Asia (6) 31 A spicy, tomato-based sauce used in Mexican cookery (5) 33 In Greek myths, the son of Telamon, a Greek hero of the Trojan War (4) 34 The national style of wrestling of Japan (4)