Six unclued lights are the names of traditional English county towns with one letter misprinted so as to form new words. The correct letters could give 26, examples of which are 1A, 17 and 22A.
Across
7 Sound of kitten in hiding-place (3)
11 Mechanical playwright heard E strings (6)
13 Aberdonian angler with chatter about fish (7, hyphened)
15 Short course is wanting (5)
16 Ruby gutted a grouse (5)
18 River one’s learning about (5)
23 Parrot flying round English magistrate (7)
30 Slack student (no saint) began to play (5)
31 Left out courtesan returned and showered vigorously (6)
33 Lighter plough (5)
35 Rainy? Nonetheless Henry’s outside (6)
38 Mac’s mites upset drink in high school (5)
39 New nursemaid died for water plant (5)
40 Idiot snubbed brainier Spaniard? (7)
41 Jerks tango with sickly strangeness (6)
42 ‘Attention!’ one said (3)
43 Fervour of nationalist sets ranees trembling (11)
Down
1 Some bosun we towelled dry (5)
2 Oracle’s dad cooked with onion (8)
3 Victory attends soldiers Edward saluted back (9)
4 They’d roar but feebly like some hummingbirds (12)
5 Takes tin hat off poor human shield I had axed (7)
6 Alienate diner fed poorly (8)
7 Witticism of Voltaire alternatively Bentley? (5)
9 Whisky maybe taster talked about (6)
10 Tenth of Scotland has Italy in mind (5)
12 Celebrity bit vetoed veg (6)
14 Game kites tangling with airship (12)
19 Hooligan aboard brougham (5)
20 Hatred of situation papa’s in (5)
22 My one loaded box or tin container (9, two words)
24 Spiritless veteran lost energy (8)
25 Sioux perhaps tracking sound of dreadful harangue (8)
29 Beasts with heart of stone sadly (6)
34 Are timid types in hood or cloak? (5)
37 Joint built by knights and earls (4)
A first prize of £30 for the first correct solution opened on 10 May. There are two runners-up prizes of £20. Please scan or photograph entries and email them (including the crossword number in the subject field) to crosswords@spectator.co.uk – the dictionary prize is not available. We will accept postal entries again at some point. Apologies that there may be a delay in sending out prizes at present.
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