Crossword solution

The unclued lights are ACCENTS or DIACRITICAL SIGNS and any appearing on letters in the grid had to be ignored.   First prize Professor Colin Ratledge, E. Yorkshire Runners-up V.A. Plomer, Swindon; B. Taylor, Bolton

The preamble suggests that unclued entries are partial anagrams of UNCLUED. The ‘repeated cryptic clue (= anagram of CLUE)’ ‘fixes not only’ LUCE ‘but also’ the central 2×2 block as [CE/LU] and ‘as a result’ LUNE.   First prize Sue Topham, Elston, Newark Runners-up Ben Stephenson, London SW12; Phillip Wickens, Faygate, West Sussex

The unclued lights form the folk rhyme ‘Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar-man, thief’.  A.A. Milne (MILNE had to be highlighted) used this as the basis for Cherry-Stones, (9d) though the beggar-man became a ploughboy. Milne’s next five jobs are also mentioned in various clues.   First prize Lydia Miller, Vale, Guernsey Runners-up

The unclued lights are the names of FAMOUS STEAM TRAINS including the pairs at 14/15 and 17/30.   First prize Jenny Harris, Cheltenham, Glos Runners-up Virginia Porter, Gwaelod-y-Garth, Cardiff; Wendy Atkin, Sleaford, Lincs

Albert Finney, a fine ACTOR (13), died on 7 February 2019. His legacy includes SATURDAY NIGHT (10) and SUNDAY MORNING (9), and TOM JONES (1), THE DRESSER (27/24) and SKYFALL (28). BYTE (20), FAR (17) and LINEN (40) give an anagram of ALBERT FINNEY. LINEN was to be shaded. First prize Andy Wallace, Coventry Runners-up John

Unclued lights were husbands (40A) of Jane Austen’s heroines.   First prize Alison Hinder, Sholing, Southampton Runners-up Janet Dibley, Polegate, East Sussex; C.G. Millin, Ramleaze, Wiltshire

The seven concise clues lead to: heALth centre (3,31), HEARTbreak (9), midrIFf (26), last of alL (40), out of afRIca (14/2), wild WEST (21) and false DAWN (7,24).   First prize Margaret Lusk, Fulwood, Preston, Lancs Runners-up G.H. Willett, London SW19; E.C. Wightman, Menston, W. Yorks

‘Never eat an oyster unless there’s an R in the month’ (Brewer). Eight unclued lights (in appropriate order) start with abbreviations of the months said to be safe for OSTREOPHAGES (1): SEPTIME (18), OCTANDRIA (26), NOVICE (34), DECELERATING (43), JANIFORM (11), FEBRIFACIENT (13), MARION (19D) and APRICOT (28).   First prize Dennis Cotterell, Carlisle Runners-up Peter

HORROR FILM (1D) ACTOR (15) BORIS (10) KARLOFF (26), né PRATT (21A) died on 2 February 1969. Most famous for THE (7A) MUMMY (37), he was also in HOWARD HAWKS (1A)’s SCARFACE (24).   First prize M.J. Wilson, Forward Green, Stowmarket Runners-up David Henderson, Almonte, Ontario; Hugh Aplin, London SW19

The unclued lights (10/1D, 11, 23/38, 29D/28 and 39) received knighthoods or a DBE in the recent New Year’s Honours List. First prize Chris Warburton, Dagenham, Essex Runners-up Peter Hampton, Wimborne, Dorset; Pam Dunn, Sevenoaks, Kent

The LITTLE GENTLEMAN IN BLACK VELVET (4/8/16D) was a Jacobite toast to the MOLE (34) who made the molehill on which KING (30D) William III’s horse fatally stumbled. Frances HODGSON BURNETT’s (10) LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY (4/1D) also wore black velvet, which also describes Guinness mixed with champagne.   First prize Ian Webster, Clun, Shropshire Runners-up

The theme word is GRASS (for which the title is a cryptic clue). 1A, 1D, 6 and 37 are informers; 28, 29, 33 and 39 are types of grass; 8A, 15, 22 and 26 are German Nobel literature laureates.   First prize Mrs R.J.C. Shapland, Stanley Common, Derbyshire Runners-up John Renwick, Ramsgate, Kent; Taylor-Mansfield, Worcester

The paired unclued lights are anagrams of one another, most being symmetrically arranged; 2/21, 5/23, 12/41, 15/25, 19D/20.   First prize Alan Peevers, Manchester Runners-up Martin Dey, Hoylandswaine, S. Yorks; Jason James, Cambridge

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT   Unclued lights were names of GHOST STORIES by M.R. (MONTAGUE RHODES) JAMES: CASTING (1A) THE (29) RUNES (10); THE TREASURE OF (9A) ABBOT (58) THOMAS (100); THE TRACTATE (42) MIDDOTH (33); OH WHISTLE (43) AND I’LL (68) COME TO YOU (1D) MY LAD (24); THE STALLS OF (44) BARCHESTER (115) CATHEDRAL (82);

The quotation was ‘IN MY BEGINNING IS MY END’ (12/15) from East Coker (an anagram of the title), second poem of T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. Remaining unclued lights are words whose first half is the same as their second half: 5, 16, 42, 43, 10 and 13. ELIOT (diagonally from the twelfth row) was to be

The HISPANIOLA was the ship that brought the other unclued answers to TREASURE ISLAND in the novel by R L Stevenson. No pirates were named in the grid, except Ben GUNN who joined against them, but (Long John) Silver appeared in the clues, which had a nautical/piratical flavour. The map in Treasure Island had three

ROUND THE HORNE (32/40/37) starred 6/37, 6/23, 1A, 14 and 8/13. The title suggested their other comedy show, Beyond Our Ken.   First prize Sara Macintosh, Darlington, Co. Durham Runners-up Alexander Caldin, Salford, Oxfordshire; Hugh Aplin, London SW19

The two people were Prince RUPERT (12) of the Rhine, born 1619 in PRAGUE (6) and died 1682 in WESTMINSTER (48), a SOLDIER (23); and REMBRANDT (45) van Rijn, born 1606 in LEIDEN (9) and died 1669 in AMSTERDAM (13), a PAINTER (33). RHINE (in the eighth row) was to be shaded. First prize John

Unclued lights, individually or as a pair (38/9), are FIREWORKS.   First prize F. Whitehead, Harrogate, North Yorks Runners-up I. Livingston, Wilmslow, Cheshire; Elisabeth Johnson, Toronto, Canada

The unclued lights are presenters of BLUE PETER: individually at 39; pairs are 3/2, 7/22, 15A/15D, 15A/17, 25/14, and 32/31, with PETER at 15A doing double duty.   First prize C.E. Christison, Edinburgh Runners-up Alison Burban, Turkdean, Gloucestershire; Greg Watson, Great Chesterford, Essex