The following quiz was kindly written and donated by Alan MacDonald. Thanks again Alan, another great contribution

Alan writes: 'Another cryptic quiz – I given it the title "The Knight before Christmas" just to make it festive! Ten clues to words beginning with the sound "sur"/"Sir" but spellings obviously differ.'

1. Rather than carry a lance, would this knight carry a lancet?

2. A knight who sounds nice, tell him so and he’ll probably “lap” it up

3. Once he strikes, this knight is almost certain to bite

4. Do all members of the knighthood need to carry this written proof of their qualification?

5. A Christian knight and a man of the cloth, he would give you this good talking-to

6. It’s for sure that you can rely on this knight

7. A nasty knight with a mean disposition

8. An appropriate title for Francis Chichester perhaps

9. According to the saying, this knight earns this by being the fittest

10. Finally, this knight was given the unkindest cut of all!

11. A bit over the top, this knight may prove to be too much

ANSWERS

1. SURGEON

2. CIRCUIT

3. SERPENT

4. CERTIFICATE

5. SERMON

6. CERTAIN

7. SURLY

8. CIRCUMNAVIGATOR

9. SURVIVAL

10. CIRCUMCISED

11. SURPLUS