BLANKOUT

A crossword you construct yourself, adding the answers and the blanks as you go. The clues are in sets of one, two, three or four guiding you to one, two, three or four words in each line (across) or column (down) indicated at the beginning of each set of clues. Each complete word has a blank at its beginning and end (unless it’s at the edge of the grid). Blanks are arranged symmetrically. To help you, we’ve given you a start with the answer to the clue on Line 10 – ‘Appal, horrify’ – which yields the word ‘Shock’. This must sit in the centre of the line to preserve the symmetry. ACROSS 2 Too formally attired 4 Unimportant person; Tract of grassland

6 One who treats teeth; Student

8 Paper folding art; Pickled cucumber

10 Verbal; Appal, horrify; Act, normally heroic 12 Affectedly cute; Fade (out); Repair (clothes) 14 Lothario; Italian rice dish 16 Odd, weird; Solar phenomenon

18 Likeness of a figure; Sweet bay tree

20 Sewing DOWN B Blunder; Flour grain

C Pupa’s covering; Purify

D Solidify; Long-legged bird

E Milk pudding; Deliberate over

G Lazily; Part of the leg; Uncanny; Part of an egg H Go (for)

I Stratum; Sound judgement; Merits; Destiny K Bit of a lark; Extraordinary L Ruby colour; Couple

M Abut; Nice-looking

N Ban from a country;

Maths proportion