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 882, The Mail on Sunday, PO Box 3451, Norwich NR7 7NR. Entries must arrive by Friday, March 15 (photocopies not accepted). The winner’s name will be published on March 31 from the first correct entry drawn. Winner of Bare Bones No 879: Brian Knowles, of Wallasey, Merseyside.

ACROSS

5 Dress in a quiet pearl ensemble 8 Gold trees – strange way to be frugal 11 Singing, embracing particular spirit 12 New game not given a lot of weight 13 Ready to become solid 14 Reporters apply force 15 Politician was miserable before water-logged area 20 Don’t stand for a piece of fiction 21 Finish with no-good French article in the country 22 The point of literature? 23 Child’s family provides some material 24 Female observed having a gentle appearance (Two words, hyphenated)

DOWN

1 Five keys and a distinguishing emblem 2 Serious poem about Lee, heartless guy 3 Hurry to organise heats 4 Black toy missing round landing stage 6 Correspondent enclosure with monster getting registered (Two words) 7 The end of the beef? (Two words) 9 Dawn’s new advantage – a golf club (Two words) 10 Point and say my one involved effortless reward (Two words) 16 The same as a treasure 17 In the past, city was in extreme pain 18 Useful husband also unknown 19 Sailor takes poem home