Unclued lights (one of three words and one of two words, singly or paired) form three groups. Group 1 is three words of a kind; group 2 is two names and a title; group 3 is a name and part of a title. The word that links them must be highlighted in the grid.

        Across

8    Water sprite cut seaweed (4)

11    Man with publisher, old fool (5)

14    College has zero Asian money (5)

15    Laziness in Leeds is awful (7)

17    Welshman’s harp overturned (4)

19    Love poetry Auden’s beginning abroad (7)

23    Expelled journo pens adventure story (7)

24    In particle, track nucleus (6)

25    After dog, get a cuckoo in part of car (8)

26    Get radio set for insect (8)

27    Plagues reported in goosefoot plants (6)

34    Tiger, one by a fern (7)

35    Note American or Parisian beastly utterance (5)

36    Farm worker’s short buttercup (4)

39    Keralan people with a currency (5)

40    German agreed 11 keeps recalling game (3,4)

41    Phenol from poor cinnabar (5)

42    Really primitive and bitter (4)

43    Auditor’s calling for massage? (8)

         Down

2    Go north around posh dwelling (4)

3    US writer round king (1,5)

4    Me, dead excited for award (6)

5    Quatrain etc? This art fails (10)

6    Crook’s dog all jittery (3,3)

7    Film poster – shout it bags Oscar (5,6)

8    Born in Malaysia’s capital, show respect (5)

9    Measurer – it’s merely wrong (9)

10    Conduct piano live (7)

12    It’s played in irrational sports publication (4,5)

20    Beggar’s abdomen was treated (10)

21    Still clinging to first fact (9)

22    Join e.g. family of minor, arty eccentric (5,4)

26    Urge service for intellectuals (7)

30    Trendy fun, as ball may be (2,4)

31    Bird’s skull, say, broken by 11 (6)

33    Succeed in Dakota city, cycling (2,3)

37    Booze maintaining king’s smile (4)

Download a printable version here.

A first prize of £30 and two runners-up prizes of £20 for the first correct solutions opened on 7 August. 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 2614, The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP. Please allow six weeks for prize delivery. The dictionary prize is not available at present.

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