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. Across 1 Pleased to be Gordonstoun’s head boy 4 Graduate is back – large chap 7 Sulk when back of motorbike is missing 9 Annoying ritual conceals determination 10 Rang about your first cross 11 Eager to have knee operation 12 The endless rota fixed what an attacker goes for 13 Warn about attorney from the country 14 Reliable outbuilding 18 Use of French stratagem 20 Reasonable form of entertainment 21 Painful sound from groom’s first horse 22 A method for being on holiday 23 Cream to go with a pie 24 Navigation aid that looks both ways 25 Animal showing compassion, by the sound of it

Down 2 Tree left next to building 3 Abhor fitted ensemble, when one first appeared (Three words) 4 Eruption is a bit of fun 5 Insult has lost second sense 6 Chicken, say, in a film 7 Create quite an impression as a diver (Three words) 8 Beg for parking by the front 15 It returns an artist to jewellery 16 Lager brewed specifically for a composer 17 Opening of composition, noisy and obscure 18 Drain off some money 19 Broadcasting no new tune (Two words)