Sunday, December 16, 2019

THE GLEANER, MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2019 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | LEISURE C4 PHANTOM ® BY TONY DEPAUL AND MIKE MANLEY kakuro solution on Monday 4 3 26 21 15 10 3 14 12 3 11 4 29 19 4 10 3 11 3 3 7 12 10 16 3 4 21 6 9 8 Fill each sequence of blank squares using the numbers 1-9. Each sequence – across and down – must total the number in the shaded box at the beginning or top of each line. A number may be repeated in each line but NOT in a sequence. Solution on Monday accesscharge. *Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge. Service pr ovider Spoke Ltd – Helpline 0333 202 3390 Stuck on the puzzle? Call 0905 789 4188 to hear individual clues or the full solution CROSS DOUBT Can you make two common five-letter words from the nine letters given, using each letter only once? You can – but only if one letter features in both words in the squares on the right. There’s at least one way to do it, and you have to have the right letter at the crossover – but which one is it? Target times: Average: 16 mins Good: 12 mins Excellent: 8 mins See if you can find the answer within our target time. If you need help, ring our clue-line below to find out the crossover letter. solution on Monday B O U T I E S Q U Today’s solution 0901 322 5607 Both today’swords inamoment! Stuck? Call for a clu e 0901 322 5601 Halve your Target Time! *Calls cost 75p plus your telephone company’s network access charge. The following events took place on December 16 i the years identified: 1937: The promised announcement of the eight men chosen by the selec- tors from whom the All-Jamaica polo sides will eventually be picked to play against Hurlingham ismade by the Selection Committee at the conclusion of the presentation of the Maurescaux Cup at Knutsford Park. Colin Calder is elected as cap- tain and will assist the Selection Committee with his advice. 1946: After a period of uncertainty during the forenoon, when some mer- chants refuse to push up their shut- ters and others, although opening, are reluctant tomake sales, the new Dry Goods Control Order comes into effect. Shoppers share in the Christmas box of reduced prices for shoes, shirts, suitings, dress mate- rials and other items of dry goods affected by the order. 1959: Mr Christopher Columbus, a young American businessman whose father and grandfather claim that they are descendants of the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus, arrives in Jamaica for a three-week holiday. Mr Columbus is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Accompanied by his wife and their three children, he comes by BWIA Viscount. 1971: A National Physical Plan for Jamaica is presented to the House of Representatives by the Minister of Finance & Planning, Mr Edward S aga. The pla covers a period of 20 years, 1970-1990, and is pre- sented as a series of guidelines for the long-range physical develop- ment of the nation. 1980: Opposition Leader Michael Manley takes the oath of allegiance to Her Majesty, the Queen of Jamaica, in the House of Representatives as MP for East Central Kingston. He later moves for the setting up of a Select Committee of the House to recommend toGovernment“amore appropriate formof oath”. The oath of allegiance reads: “I….., do swear that I will be faith- ful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.” The Gleaner Archives !!! UPDATE_STATUS:1 TODAYS_GEM 1963: The Pepsi-Cola Challenge Shield being presented to Cross-the- Harbour swim winner Paul Nash by Miss World Joan Crawford in December. Nash had won the race for the second consecutive year in record time. An enthusiastic spectator takes a peek GLEANER ARCHIVES For archival research, photographs, front pages and more, please contact The Gleaner Library. Call: (876) 932-6231. Email: library@gleanerjm.com . See library/archive video at http://jamaicagleaner.com/library Online: thegleanerstore.mycapture.com Take this Super Quiz to a PhD. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the Graduate Level and 3 points on the PhD Level. SUBJECT: WHICH WAR? Name the war in which the battle took place. (e.g., Battle of Balaclava. Answer: Crimean War.) FRESHMAN LEVEL 1. Battle of Bunker Hill 2. Battle of the Somme 3. Battle of Gettysburg GRADUATE LEVEL 4. Battle of Kursk 5. Battle of Little Bighorn 6. Battle of Thermopylae PHD LEVEL 7. Battle of Naseby 8. Battle of Agincourt 9. Battle of Waterloo ANS FOR SAT, DEC 14: 1. Brooklyn. 2. Africa. 3. India. 4. Connecticut. 5. Paris. 6. Jamaica. 7.Malta. 8. Russia. 9. Venice. 10. Brazil. 11. Athens. 12. Peking. 13. America. 14. Russia. 15. Panama. SCORING: 24 to 30 points – congratulations, doc- tor; 18 to 23 points – honours graduate; 13 to 17 points – you’re plenty smart, but no grind; 5 to 12 points – you really should hit the books harder; 1 point to 4 points – enrol in remedial courses immediately; 0 points – who reads the questions to you? ARIES (March 21-April 19): Stay on top of last-minute preparations. It’s a busy time of the year, and you don’t want to be disappointed or have regrets. A chance to socialise with an old friend will boost your morale and give you something to think about. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Look for a deal, and set plans in motion. Booking a trip or indulging in traditions different from your own will be a welcome education. Keep your money, possessions and personal documents in a safe place. A passionate moment looks inviting. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Stick to the truth. If you take a path that isn’t factual, you will face scrutiny. Take a greater interest in what others are doing. Listen more, say less and build friendships based on trust; what you receive in return will be monumental. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Explore your creative side, and you will come up with a surprise that will thrill the ones you love this festive season. With a little ingenuity, cash and preparation, you will outdo anything you have done in the past. Romance is featured. LEO (July 23-Aug 22): Be the social butterfly, and you will attract plenty of attention. Avoid opinionated rhetoric, and you’ll make new friends and allies. Work-related events will give you the perfect platform to gather the information to strategize upcoming m oves. VIRGO (Aug 23-Sept 22): You need a change of scenery. A day trip will give insight into trends and some ideas that will help you please the people you hold close to your heart. Don’t give away a secret or ruin a surprise. LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct 22): Speak up if you don’t like something. It’s essential to stand up for yourself and those you love. Don’t give in to pressure or bullying. Be passionate about the way you feel and think, and what you believe. SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21): Put your heart on the line, say what you think and make your dreams come true. Stop pussyfooting around; show some spunk when it comes to your relationships and your plans for the upcoming year. SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21): A change at home will help you prepare for something you want to pursue in the upcoming year. Look at your options, and explore the possibility of turning something you love to do into a moneymaking endeavour. CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19): Keep life simple, be direct and make changes that are within your budget. Refuse to get trapped into emo- tional spending. You cannot buy love or trust, so put your wallet away and offer your time, understanding and devotion. AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18): How you help others will make an impres- sion. Don’t let what others do cause anxiety. People are who they are. You can speak only on your behalf and do what you feel is right for you and those you love. PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): Above all else, be honest and do your best to make a difference that will improve the lives of those you love. A chance to make a professional move or to make extra cash is apparent. *SP: Spoke - Helpline 0333 202 3390 ● Puzzle phone and text services SP: Spoke, London W1B 2AG thinking SPace a B c d E F G h i J K L M n O P q r S t U V W X y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 P B Last Sunday’s solution acROSS: evasive, Said, Junk, criminal, Lethal, Stride, Rotund (clue), Bypass, Fixation, Mile, Dine, equator, DOWn: Secure, Origin, Bask, haulage, Fiscal, Driven, genius, Bunkum, Stirrup, Mute, Wizard, Salary. Down only: 0907 181 2601 *calls cost 80p a minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge. SP: Spoke, London W1B 2ag. l The Express Bookshop stocks a wide selection of puzzle books acr ss all cr ssword puzzle genres. To obtain our up to date list please visit www.expressbookshop.com , call 01872 562310 or write to Express Bookshop, PO Box 200, Falmouth TR11 4WJ. Please enclose an SAE for return. ● Alphapuzzle® ©2018 Acorn Editorial Ltd. All words appear in Chambers Dictionary 23 26 14 16 8 7 16 18 25 26 2 10 25 4 3 10 23 14 5 19 18 13 25 15 2 26 14 8 8 25 19 19 20 8 9 16 2 10 25 23 5 25 5 2 3 24 8 13 12 3 18 7 25 15 23 7 14 23 5 15 19 14 10 thE ULtra aLPhaPUZZLE ® Here’s the Ultra Alphapuzzle ® – Sunday’s xtra tough version of Britain’s favourite wordpower challenge. Each number in the grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. All 26 letters are used. Solution next Sunday. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Z F a B c d E F G h i J K L M n O P q r S t U V W X y Z thinking SPace ● aLL aLPhaPUZZLe® WORDS can Be FOUnD in the chaMBeRS DictiOnaRY ©2018 Acorn Editorial Ltd Target time: 30 minutes For up to six extra clue letters call now on: 0907 181 2607 (Deduct three minutes from target time for each extra letter heard). alternatively, for six extra clues direct to your mobile, text SXALPHAU to 84901. texts cost £1 plus your normal network rate. Full solution: 0907 181 2611 across only: 0907 181 2609 Down only: 0907 181 2610 *calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge. Last Sunday’s solution acROSS: Speck, tribe, teenager, Yank, enigma, Valour, Majesty, ironic, Yellow, Lira, namesake, Dozen, State. DOWn: Other, Portico, Prefix, Montage, charm, adjacent, travesty, elect, Royalty, Pliant, Banquet, Owner. 9 5 23 1 15 1 4 11 19 19 1 18 5 13 13 1 2 11 22 7 17 25 3 22 1 11 12 25 14 8 7 5 2 5 1 7 9 5 23 5 6 14 25 19 23 1 18 13 12 9 9 19 2 5 18 5 21 21 7 5 19 13 20 17 13 8 26 12 1 7 4 16 7 7 19 24 1 5 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 11 21 5 1 19 1 15 17 13 11 14 10 11 4 12 7 14 1 9 9 13 2 1 25 25 1 7 21 2 4 Last Sunday’s Solution : Black squares : 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 13, 17, 19, 24, 25, 30, 31, 40. Across : Vulnerable, adults, Stanza, achieve, Quote, Prism, awash, Latex, Flowery, galax y, Radium, Butchering. Down : Radar, Flogs, Voucher, inexact, Lathe, Vamp, Myth, Rasp, Jail, Okapi, Bravura, Stewing, Baked, Pygmy. M n O P q r S t U V W X y Z For up to six extra letters call 0907 181 2599 (Deduct five minutes from target time for each extra letter heard). callers will also hear two black squares clues free of any target time penalty. *calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 alternatively, for six extra letter clues direct to your mobile, text SXBEAT to 84901 texts cost £1 plus your usual network operator rate. Reduce target time by five minutes for each extra letter heard. 1 21 2 22 3 23 4 24 5 25 6 26 7 27 8 28 9 29 10 30 11 31 12 32 13 33 14 34 15 35 16 36 17 37 18 38 19 39 20 40 P G 8 2 35 18 14 8 15 40 4 10 23 4 21 7 5 18 7 4 24 4 32 28 7 37 25 12 38 13 1 14 27 40 37 17 5 31 11 11 24 34 29 26 8 35 7 34 30 4 25 31 3 33 37 7 19 12 15 12 29 8 25 22 9 21 7 38 11 25 12 9 24 20 32 12 10 24 12 7 4 38 28 8 19 38 5 18 32 3 7 38 40 Brain tEaSErS 1) Jet, Sage and Mina decide each person will wash up one type of dirty item at a different time of day. Jet must wash up in the morning if Mina washes up the plates or the cutlery. Sage refuses to wash up in the afternoon or to do the cutlery. Mina must wash up the bowls if Sage washes up during the evening. If the bowls must be washed up in the morning, who washes what, and at which time of the day? 2) Which two words meaning ‘breaks’ and ‘boiling’ combine into one meaning ‘photo’? 3) Find the gemstones in these anagrams: a) Quite Sour, b) Sage Atoms, c) Clean Rain. 4) Ned is having a party. He serves 6 cakes and 18 pizzas to his guests. Each cake has 12 slices and each pizza has 10 slices. At the end of the party, three- quarters of the cake and 95% of the pizza had been eaten. How many slices of each remain? ANSWERS: 1 Jet afternoon cutlery, Sage evening plates, Mina morning bowls. 2 Snaps-hot. 3 a) turquoise, b) Moss agate, c) carnelian. 4 18 slices of cake and 9 slices of pizza. SUdOKU Fill the small squares so that every column, every row, and every 3x3 square includes all of the digits from 1 to 9. Level: gentle Target: 16 minutes For extra clues call 0901 322 5600 (calls cost 77p per call from a Bt landline plus network extras, other networks and mobiles may vary). For today’s full solution call 0907 181 2606 (calls cost 77p per minute from Bt landlinesplusnetworkextras,other networks and mobiles may vary). YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION to order Express Sudoku Puzzles (with more than 100 puzzles and tips) at £5.99; or the new express Sudoku cD-ROM with more than 1,000 printable puzzles at £9.99, send cheque or postal order to express Bookshop, PO Box 200, Falmouth, cornwall tR11 4WJ; or phone 0871 988 8366 (10p per min on Bt landline); or order online at www.expressbookshop.com . Lev l: Gentle Target: 16 mins For more information on how to play Sudoku, log on to sudoku. com How to play: Fill the grid so that every column, row, and 3x3 square includes all of the digits from one to nine. CODEWORD J A N I T O R A B U T A G N R E O O W O R K T O P A D U L T E E I H V Q E S T E A M A V E N U E O I N S E T M O U L D Y E D I T O R E N A W R A G L I T C H O W I N G F A I E P S E R A D I O E X P O S E D A E N Z E U Y Y A N K M E D D L E D Q B T G Z C A V L U X D F E J Y K R S O P I W M H N KENKEN TETONOR 6 + 22 9 x 20 1 + 52 13 + 23 11 x 14 4 + 25 6 + 8 11 + 14 1 x 52 3 x 34 9 + 20 4 x 25 13 x 23 3 + 34 6 x 22 6 x 8 1 3 4 6 6 8 9 11 13 14 20 22 23 25 34 52 53 36 52 29 100 25 28 180 48 154 102 29 14 299 37 132 SUDOKU 1355 SUDOKU WARM-UP KILLER SUDOKU LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS thought he had enough to have a bash at game. West led a diamond, ducked to declarer’s jack. Partner did well whe he played the queen of clubs at trick two, ducking whenWest played the king. T e defenders could take three red-suit winners now but that was all. Partner had four clubs, three spades and tw diamonds. Maybe the defenders could have succeeded by attacking spades but it was not easy. In the other room, declarer also played the queen of clubs at trick two, covered by the king is now inperil. 18 f4? Whitemisses an elegant shot: 18Ngf5! exf5 19 e6! andBlack, despite his extramaterial, is fully paralysed. 18Qh4 also wins, as seen in today’s Spot theMove. 18…fxe5 19 fxe5Rf8 20Rb6Bd7 21 Rd6Qxd6 A necessary sacrifice to relieve the pressure. 22 exd6Bxd4+ 23 Kh1 Rc8 24Re1? 24Rf1 was the final clear path to victory. 24… Rc4 25Qxh6Re8 26Qxh7 Bc5 27Nh5Bxd6 28Nf6Re7 Variation fromJones-Howell, London 2019. Howcan Whitemake full use of his pieces’ harmony to seize a decisive advantage? Send your solution (first move only), to Sunday Times Spot the Move 1196, The Sunday Times, PO Box 29, Colchester, Essex CO2 8GZ, or email to puzzle.entries@sunday-times.co.uk . The first correct answer drawn after next Saturday wi s £20. Open to 18+ UK & ROI esidents only. árDbirDWD] àDpDW1Wgp] ßpDWDpDW0] ÞDWDp0WDN] ÝWDWHWDW!] ÜDWDWDWDW] ÛPDWDW)P)] ÚDR$WDWIW] WÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈW SPOT THE MOVE 1195 1…Ra1! wins by deflecting the white queen. White can only delay the inevitable: 2 Rf8+ (2 Qxa1 Qxg2 mate) 2…Kh7 3 Nf6+ gxf6 4 Rf7+ Kg8 5 Rf8+ Kg7 and White can resign Australia when the Americans in the other room settled for a modest two hearts which made with an overtrick. This week’s problem Your reach three no-trumps after North opens an intermediate two spades. North leads the six of spades which you win in hand to play a club to dummy’s king which holds. What now? Solution next week. / 5 . A K Q 4 v A K 6 , K Q 8 5 4 / K J 10 8 . 7 2 v J 5 4 3 , 7 6 3 N W E S NEWS QUIZ amanuensis , amass, amen, amine, amiss, amnesia, amuse, anamnesis, anemia, anima, anime, animus, assume, inseam, main, mana, mane, mania, manna, manse, manus, masa, mass, massé, mean, menu, mesa, mess, mien, mine, minus, miss, misuse, muse, muss, name, neum, numen, same, samisen, seam, seaman, semi, sensum, unman MEPHISTO 3092 Across: 1 Sidearm, 6 Newsy, 10 IMAX, 11 Cimolite, 12 Nightgown, 15 Airt, 16 Axolotl, 17 Lenny, 18 Teleologic, 20 Antipodean, 24 Rieve, 25 Upbraid, 26 Emeu, 29 Contralti, 30 Attendee, 31 Dern, 32 Peyse, 33 Eddying Down: 1 Sinhala, 2 Dags, 3 Exhale, 4 Acta, 5 Righteous, 6 Nowell, 7 Wining, 8 Sternitic, 9 Yesty, 13 Exanimate, 14 Clodpated, 19 Codling, 21 Teenty, 22 Perone, 23 Arcady, 24 Remap, 27 Bred, 28 Vlei GENERAL KNOWLEDGE JUMBO CROSSWORD 190 Across: 1 Siya Kolisi, 6 Eoin Morgan, 13 Tel Aviv, 14 Chateaubriand, 15 Spoonbill, 16 Hitchhiker, 18 Pas-de-Calais, 19 Extrovert, 20 Scots pine, 21 Google, 22 Idea, 24 Maeve, 25 Tramlines, 28 Lippi, 30 Rama, 32 Binchy, 34 Moravians, 36 Edgbaston, 37 Tin Pan Alley, 38 Fauntleroy, 39 Factorial, 42 Siege Perilous, 43 Lempira, 44 Stepmother, 45 Montenegro Down: 1 Setts, 2 Yellowstone, 3 Kevin Webster, 4 Love-in-a-mist, 5 Sick leave, 7 Over the moon, 8 Neuchâtel, 9 Oerlikon, 10 Gravesend, 11 Node, 12 Aarhus, 17 Stravinsky, 18 Postmortem, 21 Gully, 23 Olivia Colman, 26 Au contraire, 27 Sir Lancelot, 29 Pearl diving, 31 Magdalene, 33 Intellect, 34 Manifesto, 35 Mannheim, 37 Taylor, 40 Llano, 41 Isis 1 Mr Clever of the Mr Men series, by a feminist PhD student 2 Former Speaker John Bercow 3 Former London mayor Ken Livingstone’s foot got trapped in a Tube train door 4 Handbag (theirs to be shown at the V&A) 5 Amazon, Asda, Uber, Sports Direct or cleaning firm ISS 6 Hexham, Northumberland, according to survey 7 Boris Johnson aide Dominic Cummings 8 Ukip 9 Espresso 10 Turner prize. The artists wanted to make a ‘collective statement’ POLYGON Winners Crossword 4877 P Howes, London SW11, J Connor, Warwick, J Fyles, Mundford, Norfolk, S Hinton, Feltham, Greater London Mephisto 3090 A Brewer, Southsea, Hampshire, M Bruce, Glasgow, D Emms, Crawley, West Sussex, R Hamlin, Chichester, West Sussex, K Norcott, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire Teaser 2982 KR Dribbell, Girvan, South Ayrshire, K Fox, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire Chess 1193 R Jack, Lanark Sudoku November 17 N Robins, Teddington, Greater London ¬ Cloud and rain will spread from the northwest across Spain and Portugal. Drier and brighter in eastern Spain an acr ss the Balearics. ¬ Staying largely dry with sunny spells in Italy, the Balkans and Greece, with a few isolated light showers ¬Rain and strong winds will spread across France, the Low Countries, Denmark and Germany, followed by blustery showers in the west ¬ Cold but sunny in the Alps ¬ Cloudy in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and eastern Europe with a few spells of patchy rain ¬ Rain, showers and strong winds in southern Sweden and the Baltic states, falling as snow in central areas. Drier in northern Scandinavia THE WEEK A Monday Windy in the eas with showers. D and bright furth west. Max 10C Thursday An unsettled da with heavy rain showers for man places. Max 12C SUN, STREET LIGHTS &MOON NIGHT SKY Aberdeen 08:33 15:27 08:34 14:21 04:46(Mon) Belfast 08:32 15:58 08:33 14:41 04:55(Mon) Birmingham 08:04 15:54 08:05 14:28 04:33(Mon) Bristol 08:02 16:02 08:03 14:33 04:34(Mon) Cardiff 08:04 16:04 08:05 14:35 04:36(Mon) Cork 08:27 16:23 08:28 14:56 05:00(Mon) Dublin 08:26 16:07 08:27 14:45 04:54(Mon) Glasgow 08:33 15:44 08:34 14:32 04:51(Mon) London 07:52 15:52 07:53 14:23 04:24(Mon) Manchester 08:11 15:50 08:12 14:28 04:37(Mon) Newcastle 08:17 15:39 08:18 14:23 04:38(Mon) Norwich 07:52 15:40 07:53 14:15 04:20(Mon) Plymouth 08:03 16:13 08:04 14:41 04:38(Mon) Sun rises Sunsets/ lightson Lights off Moon rises Moon sets 13 6 16 12 8 13 6 12 16 6 7 5 8 12 14 9 8 4 7 3 23 11 9 7 9 3 REGIONAL FO London, SE Eng Cloudy at first. B strong southwes Midlands, E En Sunny spells an strong southwes Channel Is, SW Sunshine and sh force southwest NWales, NWEn Blustery shower southwesterly w Cent N and NE Bright to start, b southwesterly w Scotland Widespread sho strong westerly N Ireland, Repu Bright spells and to near-gale wes TODAY’S SOLUTIONS CONCISE CROSSWORD 1654 Across: 1 Novice, 4 Advent, 9 Precipitation, 10 Equable, 12 Until, 13 Painstaking, 17 Idler, 18 Rickety, 20 Psychoanalyst, 22 Doddle, 23 Rhythm Down: 1 Nephew, 2 Vie, 3 Climb, 5 Do a bunk, 6 Existence, 7 Tangle, 8 Libertarian, 11 Unalloyed, 14 Narwhal, 15 Limpid, 16 System, 19 Coach, 21 Yet TEASER 2984 130 CROSSWORD 4879 Across: 1 Well-prepared, 8 Ill, 9 Floundering, 10 Heron, 11 Rate-cap, 13 Rearmament, 15 Word association, 18 Ben Travers, 21 Ethical, 22 Aswim, 23 Prairie dogs, 24 Ear, 25 Misrepresent Down: 1 Wallaroo, 2 Laurel, 3 Pedlar, 4 Primary care, 5 Right away, 6 Disraeli, 7 Plankton, 12 Perseverate, 14 Harrumphs, 15 Web pages, 16 Ringworm, 17 On target, 19 Stripe, 20 Fiddle Venus blazes very low down in the SWat nightfall and passes 2°, or 4 Moon -widths, below the fainter Saturn on Tuesday. The Geminids shower , building to its peak on Saturday, is rich in bright, slowmeteors. They diverge from the constellation Gemini , which climbs from the NE horizon at nightfall to pass high in the S at 02:00. Moonlight is a hindrance this year. Alan Pickup CRYPTIC PUZZLE SOLUTION FOR SUN, DEC 15 ACROSS: 9, Over-state 10, On I’m-pulse 12, Late 13, Es-c-ort 14, Arrange (a range) 15, Con’s-table 17, Ab-staine-r 18, Pas-sage 19, But-ton 20, Flat 23, Chiming in 25, Pre-served 26, E-we-R 27, Star-E-d 29, Doubles 32, Scrap yard 34, Ins-ince-re 35, Diviner 36, Report 37, (man)Aged 38, Fore-casts 39, Substance. DOWN: 1, Fool’s-cap 2, Letting slide 3, Passable 4, R-emot-e 5, Cont-R-act 6, Final score 7, Sp-Art-an 8, Pen-etrated 11, L-inen 16, T-ragic 19, Ban (rev) 21, Level pegging 22, Return 23, Cheesed off 24, Gets a-cross 25, Pad 28, Red cross 29, Des-crib-e 30, S-PE-edier 31, Sp-in-ach 33, River 34, Im-p-ose. EASY PUZZLE FOR SUN, DEC 15 ACROSS: 9, Overthrow 10, Inoculate 12, Pods 13, Stance 14, Explode 15, Reinforce 17, Inanimate 18, Letdown 19, Seethe 20, Beta 23, Exemplify 25, Chr nicle 26, Easy 7, Scales 29, Logical 32, Yachtsman 34, Endeavour 35, Optimal 36, Limpid 37, Weak 38, Respected 39, Nighttime. DOWN: 1, Corporal 2, Headmistress 3, Brethren 4, Twinge 5, Likewise 6, Forefather 7, Culprit 8, Decelerate 11, Aroma 16, Floppy 19, Sty 21, Encyclopedia 22, Enigma 23, Emery board 24, Incomplete 25, Cos 28, Landlady 29, Lodgings 30, Lorikeet 31, Stammer 33, Cites 34, Ermine. HOROSCOPE CROSSDOUBT SUDOKU THIS DAY IN OUR PAST ISAAC ASIMOV’S SUPER QUIZ TODAY’S GEM PHOTO FLASHBACK LAST FRIDAY’S SOLUTION: ACROSS: BANKS DOWN: POUND SUNDAY TIMES PUZZLE SOLUTION FOR DEC 15