THE SKELETON CROSSWORD – £325 in prizes

There is a £100 prize for the first correct solution drawn; nine runners-up receive £25.

Send your completed crossword to the address shown in the box below left. In the skeleton crossword, the black squares and clue numbers have to be filled in as well as the words. Four black squares and four clue numbers have been inserted to give you a start. The black squares form a symmetrical pattern; the top half matches the bottom, and the two sides correspond. You can fill in 12 more squares at once to correspond with those given.

ACROSS

1 Hide damage from a star 5 Greek character ahead of thin

South American

9 Country singer who ends an

obsession

10 A composer put one piece

back

12 Snake put in front of errant

rook

14 A couple united during a

party

15 Actual centre of named

kingdom

16 Irritation risk leader removed 17 Cleaner politician having a

ball

19 Friends turning front into

back join line

21 Conflict before copper

charges...

24 ...corrupt suitor cheating fifth

visitor

25 A seer on about a small boat 26 Youth turning in without

footwear

DOWN

1 Silver-laden ship sinks

2 Fresh start of tame

amphibian

3 Broken CIA rule isn’t

impractical

4 Drifter a denial enraged 5 Conservative about to leave a

river

6 Lawman somehow contains

awe (2 words)

7 Source of iron eaten by close

girl

8 Borders of note wary insiders

approach

11 Vessel a little boat roared

around

13 Um, a communist slipped up 17 Second application or device

for computer

18 Short clergyman sticks his

nose in

19 Brandy closer to drinker in a

raincoat

20 Row about city filling up 22 Bird feeder heathen conceals 23 Witnesses going back and

forth