BARE BONES

NO.533

Our Bare Bones Crossword is unique because you have to complete the grid – numbers and squares – as well. We have inserted four black squares and four clue numbers to get you going. The crossword has a four-way symmetry: both top and bottom and left and right match, so you can fill in 12 more squares straight away. There is a prize of a Collins Pocket Thesaurus. Send your solution to: Bare Bones Puzzle No.533, The Irish Mail on Sunday, PO Box 5332, Cardiff Lane, Dublin 2. Entries must arrive by Friday (photocopies not accepted). The winner of Bare Bones No.532 is Dr John Howley, Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare.

Across

1 Steal a pub to get a profit 5 Hermit is about to solve clues 9 Stop the promotion of an image happening 10 Intend to get the German to wander about 12 Girl seen at a celebration 13 Prepared to get money that is available 14 Small group, owing to time 15 Sharp as a group of detectives 17 Credit note points to salad ingredient 19 One’s rearranged a feature 21 Professor has cage altered in shape 22 Military unit doesn’t finish course of therapy 23 A number turns it green 24 Reel may astound

Down

2 A rota devised for main supplier 3 Provide ad taken out as compromise (Three words, hyphenated) 4 Victor misses the top of the target area 6 Yemen managed to find an opponent 7 Routine for which one must queue? (Two words) 8 Setting is part of the act 11 Military student acted in a strange way 16 Wipe lance off 17 Copy of shape that gets left 18 We sat around – that’s hard work 20 The riddle of the kitchen