3 28 40 1D 8 37. Two other unclued entries were involved. Ignore accents.

        Across

   1    Austrian novice without much flesh (8)

   5    Gift of story books (6)

   9    Man of uncertainty begins here, uncertainly (10)

14    Jenny perhaps was and is uninitiated (3)

16    Unruffled, drive GTi out of African national park (6)

17    Lustre of European mineral seen from behind (5)

18    People regularly taking part in sport make you sick (5)

20    Sculptor for example goes round scraping away (7)

22    Port of New Orleans (7)

24    Boy said yes after girl’s first seductive glance (4,3)

25    Drug ring finally fleeing Jamaica (5)

26    Ape caught after one’s doubled back (5)             

31    Show insect on leaf (7)

33    Vendor’s evasively holding back (7) 

38    Wood surrounding small American city in east (5)

39    Almost spoils extremely expensive footwear (6)

41    Performing sonatina on site of the Alamo (3,7)

42    Mean public schoolboy returns (6)

43    Anti-hero ruined broadcast (2,3,3)

         Down

   2    Chum leaving fabrics and bread for Iranians? (5)                

   4    Bishops in bakery oddly missing church (5)

   6    Ancient silver pine covered by earth (7)

   7    Shedding clothes, Clarkson heads to isolated corner of desert (6)       

11    Barriers restraining radical university alumni (9)

12    NCO carelessly jams generator (8,5)

13    Bash and decapitate viper over nothing (8)

15    £1000 a year for old man (7)

19    Transport hubs spoilt her travels (9)  

23    Engineer used gas to neutralise magnetism (7)

27    Most laconic scoundrel on trial (7)

29    Call Channel Islands about US jewel thief (3,3)

30    Meet judge probing a murder (6)

32    Proliferation of filth stopped by wife and husband (6)

34    Analysed another gripping French military debacle (5)

35    Unexpected gift from chap one upset (5)

36    Regret embracing old libertine (4)

A first prize of £30 for the first correct solution opened on 5 December. 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, or post to: Crossword 2582, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP. Please allow six weeks for prize delivery. The dictionary prize is not available at present.

Download a printable version here.

The post 2582: Chief whip appeared first on The Spectator.

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