Numbers

Today is the 7th of December.

Seven is the number of:

Deadly sins (Sloth, lust, wrath, gluttony, avarice, envy, pride);

Virtues (faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, prudence, temperance);

Hills of Rome (Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, Viminal);

Wonders of the Ancient World (Colossus of Rhodes, Pyramids, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Pharos Lighthouse at Alexandria, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Diana at Ephesus);

Dwarfs (Happy, Sleepy, Dopey, Bashful, Grumpy, Doc, Sneezy).

Competition: More of our "26 L of the A" (Letters of the Alphabet") puzzlers. Three Chambers Dictionary prizes await decoding of these:

20 Q in a P G

30 O P in H a C

40 D of L

50 P T G O O J in M

60 D at E C O an E T

Entries, by 18 December, to: Pastimes, the Independent, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL.

22 November competition

Answers: Encyclopedia (delicacy open), Thesaurus (Suture ash), Dictionary (tonic diary).

Chambers Combined Dictionary Thesaurus prizes to: AE Seymour, Janice Holloway and John Atkins.