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, July 30 (photocopies not accepted). Today’s solution will appear next week and the winner’s name on Sunday, August 15. SEE BELOW THE GRID for details on how to enter.

Across

1 Malcolm – – –, former Conservative MP and Foreign Secretary 1995-97 (7)

5 Large, hard sweets consisting of different coloured concentric layers (11)

10 A device for emitting a loud, wailing sound, especially as a warning or signal (5)

11 Ericaceous plants cultivated for their showy pink or purple flowers (7)

13 A place or scene of activity, debate, or conflict (5)

14 Mountain range in North East Italy, part of the Alps (9)

15 Keeps in proper or good condition (9)

16 Great – – –, very large breed of dog with a short, smooth coat (4)

17 Former actor who became the 40th President of the United States in 1981 (6,6)

20 Starchy, edible tubers of a plant of tropical and subtropical regions (4)

21 Loose, wide-sleeved liturgical vestments of linen, worn by clergy and choristers (9)

22 A word or mark indicating that certain deleted typeset or written matter is to be retained (4)

26 Small, leaping rodents inhabiting desert regions of North America (8,4)

27 The fibre prepared from the husk of the coconut (4)

29 A small, faint constellation, the brightest star of which is Polaris (4,5)

31 In Christianity, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of Christ in the Temple (9)

33 The – – –, principal distribution network for water, gas or electricity (5)

34 Walkway beside a canal or river, used by people or animals pulling boats (7)

35 Small, terrestrial lizard of warm regions (5)

36 1946 musical biopic starring Cary Grant as Cole Porter (5,3,3)

37 Official or authoritative instruction or command (7)

Down

1 A regular series of concerts by a band or singer at one venue (9)

2 Animals and plants existing in a wild or uncultivated state (5)

3 Disgrace or public shame (8)

4 Inadequate amount, especially of food (6)

5 Insect which produces a ticking sound by rubbing its hind legs against its leathery forewings (11)

6 Freshwater fish with a deep, compressed body covered in silvery scales (5)

7 Talks in a foolish or childish way (8)

8 A planet, usually Venus, seen just after sunset (7,4)

9 Gloria – – –, 20th Century American actress who was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar three times (7)

12 Rods or sticks with a notch in the top, used to draw out natural fibres for spinning into thread (8)

16 – – – returns, progressively smaller rises in output resulting from the increased application of a single factor of production (11)

18 A privileged class of people, usually of high birth (11)

19 A sweet aperitif wine flavoured with quinine and cinchona (8)

23 An optical instrument for making distant objects appear larger and brighter (9)

24 Small South American monkey with a long, hairy tail, clawed digits and tufts of hair around the head and ears (8)

25 A protein found in the bodies of people and animals (8)

26 Gerald – – –, former Labour MP for Manchester Gorton, the Father of the House of Commons 2015-17 (7)

28 Bernard – – –, Margaret Thatcher’s chief press secretary while she was prime minister (6)

30 Quarrelled noisily (5)

32 The holiest city of Islam, situated in western Saudi Arabia (5)