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 959, The Mail on Sunday, PO Box 3451, Norwich NR7 7NR. Entries must arrive by Friday, September 4 (photocopies not accepted). The winner’s name will be published on September 20 from the first correct entry drawn. Winner of Bare Bones No 956: Mrs Glynis Jones, of Northampton.

Across

7 Tiny amount of time 8 Firework often found in salad 11 Pressure on international organisation to get joke 12 Opportunity left in part of church 13 Noticed something cold inside 14 Beams in lift, by the sound of it 15 Herb that makes money 20 Creative work in modest frame 21 Reading French article written about truce

22 Steel mechanism conceals a tree 23 Not broken during diplomacy 24 Tom has changed his full name

Down

1 Organs acquiring pulses for food (Two words) 2 Eat a great deal around noon 3 Honour for being lamed, unfortunately 4 Mark has registered a knack 5 Climb seen in proportion

6 Shaman involved in mime dance (Two words) 9 Bird causes fight and argument 10 Change borders – new occasion, old money 16 If you don’t mind, say entreaties 17 Notes about reduction being sharp 18 Place empty toy into something malleable 19 Form of code unknown, but it’s a red herring