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 fourway 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 English Dictionary and Thesaurus set, and a Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary. Send your solution to: Bare Bones Puzzle No 835, The Mail on Sunday, PO Box 3451, Norwich NR7 7NR. Entries must arrive by Friday, April 20 (photocopies not accepted). The winner’s name will be published on May 6 from the first correct entry drawn. Winner of Bare Bones No 832: William F. Morton, of Wishaw, Lanarkshire. NAME ............................................................................................................................... .. ADDRESS ............................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................... ................ POSTCODE .................................... TELEPHONE...........................................................

ACROSS

1 Pursuing trend, to a certain extent (Three words) 10 A noise has time to surprise greatly 11 Director took his position on island 12 Grounded creature in terrible muddle 13 Check the progress of a large lizard 15 Afterwards acquire a Latin way of thinking 17 Give weapons to group as a mark of respect 21 Cabled about energy seeing sudden failure 25 Second person to sound like a sheep 26 Say soldiers get into trouble 27 Implore to have a ban organised for seating 28 Wearing the glamorous outfit of an assassin (Three words)

DOWN

2 A good time to be found in bed 3 Queen, put out, to show anger 4 Crawler is less sane, losing head 5 Dire flaw developed with union 6 Husband lost out to composer 7 Rise awkwardly behind round tree 8 Lamp trained on part of the hand 9 Amount of liquid vital to a fish 14 Admit to be won over 16 Primate seen in tapestry 17 Mary ran one of the armed forces 18 Underground worker sounds unimportant 19 Sign differs, but not initially 20 Needs fluid to be thick 21 First appearance of French objection 22 Rely on getting left without expression 23 Clique gets sailor in a state 24 Border of hedges