A CHRISTMAS JUMBO A Merry Christmas from Mass

A first prize of £60, three prizes of £25 and six further prizes of The Book of Spectator Crosswords (pub. Chambers, £4.99) will be awarded for the first correct solutions opened on 14 January. Entries to: Jumbo Crossword, The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LL.

The unclued lights cons'st of 14 anagrams of `Christmassy' items (whose barred letters form: I RAISE, SIR, SIP A TASS OF ALE) and the salutations at 1A/109. Italic clues yield, in either order, a word and the light formed from it by imbibing or giving away a different drink or liquid measure (six abbreviated). Roman clues omit all anagram indicators, but are otherwise normal; their lights include two phrases. Ignore four hyphens. One place-name is not in Chambers.

Name Address ACROSS 1 See preamble (22, two words) 18 Bird, buff, circling col (6)

20 Exotic bird region

21 'Geneva'? Latin gospel (7) 23 Light clipped language (3) 25 Hospitality? Serve pies, etc, about noon (13)

26 Measures Mac's other tree (13) 30 Felt pain, once, quailed 35 Fish 'ad rum in bar (10)

37 Brownie has new but (6) 38 Town's real rank, we hear (5)

41 Second drink

42 Article in fake pair (4) 43 Inches from borders (5) 44 Hen perch, rounded piece (7) 45 Ten praise purgatives (9) 48 Slush on east's inclines (6) 50 Clients' duplicator (7) 52 Turn up in 22 (3) 54 Five at a service, opposite (9)

57 Understatement rests

58 Radiant chant 60 Holy of holies: quietly enter with others (10) 62 He dismisses more in tail (10) 65 A cent in silvery coffer (7) 69 'Toadstool-eating' witch in my transcription (9)

70 Bone bag 72 A chin's tuft (7) 74 Fragmentary notice

76 Orderly man, as Sir (9)

77 Payments? Al's in tears (7) 80 Game, as usual 82 Form fool

87 Spice, twin crystal 88 Tree, like a back-bone 90 Unruly chief, I, in a clan (10) 95 Gold tatty calico showing tissue decay (13) 98 Thin slimy hag grips king, hideously (13)

104 Designs archaic hostels

105 Grass to spare (7) 106 50 zoa: treat in quarantine (9) 107 Ruffle piece of fir-tree (6) 109 See preamble (22, five words) DOWN 1 Board's top worker in firm (12 2 Man on a bow, part of ship (8 3 Iron casket (4) 4 Second brew for break (5) 5 Escort shot (4) 6 Cough from one on edge (4) 7 Note profit principle (5) 8 Loon, Edward, amused (8) 9 Herb's neat gin (7) 10 Chaff I found in grain (4) 11 Bard's evil English drink? (4) 12 Jaundice, curse it! (7) 13 Trash? Son cleans 37 (15)

14 Terribly alone

15 Bent staffs, thieves (6)

17 Tiff over, draws liquor (4) 19 Splendid sand-eel 22 Each English jolly (5) 24 Slates Malayan stanzas 28 Plant informer

31 Describe power in edict (6)

32 Compound in valley (6) 35 Steals instruments

39 Note bell over anthem (5) 40 First letters (as in Li, It) (8) 41 Sand, sleet in time produced slush (15) 46 Nightingale, one left in quiet nest over lake (8) 47 Jog Henry's faith (5)

51 Domestic male in stir (4) 53 Pure? Infectious?

55 Hebrew raised single child (5) 56 King's spirit (Scotch) (4)

59 Ditch US valise 61 Clayey, like arum

63 Old un refused, as before (5) 66 Confront a m-model (6)

68 Lodging, local pile 71 Shipman, salt

73 Mineral in metal canteen (4)

74 With which chef stirs jam 75 Axe pine in time (4)

79 Act `Comus' in season (8) 81 Jar in cool larder (4) 83 Chatter tries teacher (8) 84 T' drum's set in motion (7) 85 Flicks tissues (5) 86 Mix-up, scrap in game (7) 89 A ten to score (6) 94 Fish, 100 sold (4) 95 Publishes tunes (4) 96 Earlier case fellow lost (5) 97 Scamp's learning (L) (5) 99 Vocally explains rises (4) 100 A wage to please, that was (4)

101 Passionately alert

102 Whip old Roman censor (4) 103 Fuel oil: clear up volume (4) The solution to Crossword 987 is on page 91. Book prizes are sent out by the 'Post-a-Book' service.