BARE BONES

WIN A COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY AND THESAURUS SET, AND A BRADFORD’S CROSSWORD SOLVER’S DICTIONARY

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. ACROSS 1 Mark got sailor a large dung beetle 4 American uncle takes the French to island to find sausage 9 Fall apart on seeing dessert 12 Cares about politician being in rush 14 Flawed, having feeling of reverential respect 15 Abbreviated start to a piece of music 16 Express gratitude to bishop? Not so much 17 Let out with inclination to crush 18 A bit hard to find shelter first 20 Feeling remorse for destruction seen at Gateshead 22 The bird in the nest 23 Quite the opposite concerning some poetry 25 Tons are written about betraying one’s country 27 Parking on the left next to thin, cracked base 28 Hiker gets blame for ruining river DOWN 2 Matter to member of the aristocracy 3 Heard beer was trouble 5 Marched around part of a bend 6 Tree provides chap with parking 7 Sacred writings in true, crisp translation 8 Force to join group of reporters (Two words, hyphenated) 10 Fuss made about republican relative 11 A cheer broke out about a complaint 12 Reptile makes an unusual present 13 A desire to be inside a foreign inn 19 Original as a work of fiction 21 Children is an important topic 24 It’s a new way to relax 26 Strange to be seen in 9