Crossword solution

The unclued lights are COMPOSERS whose surnames begin with the letter D.   First prize E.C. Hynard, Guernsey Runners-up Geran Jones, London SW1 R.C. Teuton, Frampton Cotterell

The unclued lights are anagrams of the names of Scottish towns. Dalry (12), Dundee (14)), Brechin (27), Kelso (1D),  Peterhead (8), Inverness (21D), Gretna (30D) and Elgin (34). The title is an anagram of TOONS (Scottish towns). First prize J.R. Evans, Caversham, Reading Runners-up Michael Moran, Penrith, Cumbria; Don Young, Shaw, Oldham

THE AMBASSADORS (1D) by HANS HOLBEIN (15 16) includes, as a MEMENTO MORI (17 27), an ANAMORPHIC (11) depiction of a SKULL; this is represented in the grid, in the same area as in the painting, in DIAGONAL (25) form.   First prize John Nutkins, London TW8 Runners-up Don Thompson, Bolton; Paul Jenkinson, Zollikon, Switzerland

The unclued lights can be preceded by BLUE which was hidden at the start of the third row and had to be highlighted in blue. BADGE at 15A is the theme word not listed in Brewer or Chambers as a ‘blue’ phrase.   First prize Joy Verth, Newton Mearns, E. Renfrewshire Runners-up C.D. Dobbs, Carrickfergus,

The poem was ‘Composed upon WESTMINSTER (1A) Bridge’ by William WORDSWORTH (1D). The words are ASLEEP (20), DOMES (36), EARTH (37), SHIPS (7D), GLITTERING (19) and ANYTHING (24).   First prize P.G. Hampton, Wimborne, Dorset Runners-up Geran Jones, London SW1; Feinberg, Carlsbad, California

Unclued lights were five fictional TOMs and their authors: JONES (14A) and FIELDING (8D), SAWYER (16A) and TWAIN (35A), BROWN (41A) and HUGHES (15D), KITTEN (20D) and POTTER (30D), and BOMBADIL (23D) and TOLKIEN (12A).   First prize Chris Edwards, Pudsey, Leeds Runners-up Daniel Angel, Twickenham, Middlesex; S.L. Jordan, Didcot, Oxon

The unclued lights are compositions by Vaughan Williams; 17, 19/8, 21/23, 27/11, 36/4, 43/28 with the title of the puzzle suggesting a VW Beetle.   First prize Brian Grayson, London E11 Runners-up Trevor Evans, Drulingen, France; John Pugh, Ely, Cardiff

13 1A 23 22 is from SHELLEY’S ‘Ode to a Skylark’. Other unclued lights had ‘a poet hidden in the light’: OVID in 6A; LARKIN in 16; ELIOT in 17; TATE in 42; AUDEN in 43. Two poets’ names in the puzzle’s real title, ‘A Poet Skylarking’, needed highlighting.   First prize Wilf Lewsey, East

Parts indicated in clues in italics must each BREAK NEW GROUND (1A 4A), creating entries at 6, 13, 26, 39 and 40; definitions of these entries are 2, 15A, 33, 27 and 20.   First prize Chris Edwards, Pudsey, Leeds Runners-up Sebastian Robinson, Glasgow; Chris Butler, Borough Green, Kent

The unclued lights are (too many) TV COOKS, individually at 18, 21 and 28, and paired at 25/13, 27/1A, 30D/10 and 42/7A.   First prize Margaret Lusk, Fulwood, Preston Runners-up Alison Latham, Pinkneys Green, Berks; Matthew Hudson, Stoneleigh, Surrey

‘THE WRITING ON THE WALL’ (Daniel 5.5) at 12/22/41 was ‘MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN’ at 23/16/26, according to Brewer, which also gives ‘IF YOU HATE GRAFFITI, SIGN A PARTITION’, at 19/1D/7, as an example of GRAFFITI. First prize C.V. Clark, London WC1 Runners-up Francesca Charlton, Sleaford, Lincs; A.R. Wightman, Harpenden, Herts

Unclued lights associated with IRIS are: flowers (2, 11, 40), Greek goddesses (10, 16, 30), and parts of the eye (6, 12, 34).   First prize P. Taylor-Mansfield, Worcester Runners-up Aidan Dunn, Newton Abbot, Devon; Derek Willan, Gosport, Hampshire

The unclued lights are classical French plays (‘PIÈCES’) by Corneille (9, 18, 21A), Molière (11, 23, and 21D/29) and Racine (1A, 24 and 25). The highlighted letters reveal the three playwrights’ names.   First prize Keith Norcott, Warden Hill, Cheltenham Runners-up David Carpenter, Sutton Coldfield; Paul Davies, Reading, Berkshire

The novel was HOWARDS END by E.M. Forster. Round the perimeter run the characters LEONARD BAST, PERCY CAHILL, MARGARET SCHLEGEL and HENRY WILCOX followed by EMF. WADED/SHORN (20/39) and SHOWN/ADDER (11/26) each  combine to form an anagram of HOWARDS END.   First prize Penny Mitchell, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire Runners-up R.R. Alford, Oundle, Peterborough; Kev Ward, Quorn,

‘Now is the woodcock near the gin’, said by Fabian in Twelfth Night, suggests the position of BECASSE in relation to 8, 21, 28, 30 and 37.   First prize Jenny Staveley, London SW2 Runners-up Andrew Bell, Shrewsbury, Shropshire; A.M. Dymond, London SE24

The unclued lights are LETTERS in alphabetical order which, when rearranged, give the names of eight CAPITAL cities.   First prize Lucy Robinson, London N16 Runners-up Michael O’Hanlon, North Berwick, Scotland; Roger Perrot, Guernsey

The unclued entries are all names for pontoon; extra words in 27, 31, 33, 34 and 36 needed the letters S, G, O, U, R to become WHIST, BRIDGE, SOLO, AUCTION, CONTRACT. Auction, auction bridge, bridge, bridge whist, contract, contract bridge, solo, solo whist and whist are all card-games listed in Chambers. PONTOON is a

The puzzle’s NUMERICAL DESIGNATION (3 41) is preceded by 7A and followed by 7D 12 33 37 to form the first two lines of a NURSERY RHYME (4): ‘One, two, three, four, five/ Once I caught a fish alive’. Thematically caught fish, in entries at 1D, 5, 19, 26, 31, 32 and 34, are lant,

The unclued lights can be preceded by or followed by the unclued word DOCTOR, which explains why I (Doc) am away in the title of the puzzle.   First prize Pam Dunn, Sevenoaks, Kent Runners-up Tim Hanks, Douglas, Isle of Man; R.C. Teuton, Frampton Cotterell, Gloucestershire

The perimeter quote is by Nietzsche (taking the 1 in the top left corner as the first word). Other unclued lights were anagrams of stars: 18A Vega; 19A red giant; 20A Altair; 27A Castor, 33A nova; 26D Rigel.   First prize Angus Ross, Old Portsmouth, Hampshire Runners-up Mrs R.J.C. Shapland, Ilkeston, Derbyshire; Paul Elliott, London W12