The unclued lights, two of two words and the others as four pairs, are of a kind.

 

Across

6 Rickety car – one cut off during July (6)

10 House-doctor, game to assist poor maintenance of biological conditions (12)

11 Ten expressions of 14 – just small amounts (5)

14 Appreciation from US actor (6)

17 Drafts of collages (8, hyphened)

21 Did a nose suffer from them? (8)

26 One gets caught in it! (3)

28 Conductors of new trams, that is (7)

35 Department heads of operational research need experience (4)

36 Sombre at first, then dark, then bright (6)

38 Gusher shows how to avoid any friction (7, two words)

39 Miller Close (5)

41 Very light is one such 70s fashion (6)

42 Estates seedsmen replanted (8)

 

Down

1 Rumours misconstrued by Chinese? (8)

2 Hottentot’s outside. Such fun (4)

3 Drinks the health of – Burns? (6)

4 Stormy Lough Tait lacking small island for cabin (6, two words)

5 Peace’s destroyed around this time by lark (8)

6 Old leather coat with pieces for retainers (7)

7 Heraldic device embracing two northern deep ravines (5)

8 Action completely adopting inverted interior design (9)

9 Bowls out the small county (5)

12 Broken cassette may set a precedent (8, two words)

15 Timber tree cut apart (6)

18 Rotten dates. It’s causing this (8)

19 Against the clock essay reproduced literatim (9, two words)

20 Posed with your small woodland creatures (6)

23 I am just a little behind to sacrifice (8)

25 Spoils Warwickshire’s first time at the crease (8)

27 Tailless bird in wild fens and swamps (7)

30 Entering northbound motorway, remain in the same place (6)

31 Solemn sounds from two pieces and old measures (6)

32 Cease to like awkward chap on foot (5, two words)

A first prize of £30 for the first correct solution opened on 6 September. 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.

Get 10 issues for just $10

Subscribe to The Spectator Australia today for the next 10 magazine issues, plus full online access, for just $10.

SUBSCRIBE 10 issues for $10 REGISTER 3 articles a month

Already a subscriber? Log in