BARE BONES

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.654, 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.653 is Samuel Walsh, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. Across 5 Mark pursues mother with a cosmetic 7 Husband and wife on time for some poetry 9 Doctor is coming in with award for strip 11 Puritan holding Spanish article that’s performed first 12 Rely on spreading daily laugh before break (Two words) 15 Poet hasn’t registered points in unwelcome report (Two words) 17 Endless objection wrapped in hackneyed praise 19 Suggest expert be a model 20 Mineral sees bishop exit suspiciously holding gold Down 1 Fellow in charge is showing wild excitement 2 Illegally copy a childish receptacle 3 Stop getting round a wild animal 4 About dame not starting to get prepared 6 Copper organises puritan start of stage performance (Two words, hyphenated) 8 Where letters go to make reliable person fight (Two words) 10 Broken toes heal, initially, in climate 11 Airwoman in secret plan to capture his heart 13 Loiter like a sailor next to railway 14 Small gallery in a part of America 16 Insect has been pestering first character 18 Gather pear was cooked