Radial clues should be entered inwards or outwards. For thematic reasons three times more head in than come out. Circles can be read clockwise or anti-clockwise. The second circle from the centre gives the situation (2 words) and participants (2 words). The fifth circle from the centre consists of two quotations (ODQ) both five words long. Every clue has a redundant letter produced by the wordplay. These, read in clue order, give an instruction. 26 is uncommon (confirmed by Webster) and 38 is in ODE.

1    Provide clear evidence of college admissions exam 2    Most timid Baltic inhabitant, bearing inverted Christian symbol 3    Fraud of concocted iced tea 4    Follow trend with smart raised ornamental type of brooch 5    Support welcomed by former nurse for non–resident US doctor 6    Emotional frenzy once of couple of unknowns tangling with revolutionary state 7    Lacking touch of dexterity, hands raised the tool handle 8    Soften damaged shoe toe 9    Certainty of means of improving situation in a place of debauchery 10    External United States organ 11    Excited swarm on trees 12    Mothers getting round northern magistrates 13    Boys chasing cat around intermittently in Scottish fish traps 14    Saint, King and exotic lands for Norse bards 15    Rodents in uproar, those that make the highest sound 16    For regular bigotry, second men below abbots in rank 17    Retrograde semester residence measures 18    Returned merchandise articles, bits of pottery, earthenware and Mexican blanket 19    Roughly handles African animals 20    Male child concludes subsidiary aims

21    Opportunity to shift housing about 22    Attitude wrongly held in Lancaster (not the outskirts) 23    Undesirable situation; strong wind become more energetic 24    Endlessly appear to be ever dreadfully critical    25    Handsome young fellow’s trouble with head lice    26    Unusually render Chinese yen after finish makes a comeback 27    Armed services medic judges electronic devices 28    In front of some back yard hedged by extra large types of woody tissue 29    Echoed musical device creating throbbing effect involving a hard worker 30    Great Shakespearian actor’s role in musical 31    Gaggle circling round groove in stonework at Balmoral 32    Queen once more introducing line in garment 33    Air staff drinking French wine assigned to their planes ... 34    34 ... made no start on serious brewed spirits 35    Wrapping surprisingly heals outsides of wrist … 36    … so benign skin growths in retrospect are mere trifles! 37    Fighting sailor turned back after search in detail 38    (2 words) Wound digital audio tape – casual attempt 39    Something included in rising wooden structures 40    Quaking and disastrously stirred up (not us!)

To enter this competition, send your entry as an image or in list format, indicating the outcome of the final instruction to quiz.man@ntlworld.com before the 8th November 2014. The first correct entry drawn from the hat will receive a book from the Chambers range which has been donated by Chambers.