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 1009, The Mail on Sunday, PO Box 3451, Norwich NR7 7NR. Entries must arrive by Friday, August 20 (photocopies not accepted). The winner’s name will be published on September 5 from the first correct entry drawn.

Winner of Bare Bones No 1006: Alfred Berry, of Kirk Ella, East Yorkshire.

Across

7 Building an offence

within firm 8 Employ article after

sodium sickness 11 At home, old

performance is vague 12 Eccentric bit

of syncopation 13 Trendy joint 15 Consider inside,

empty outside 16 Pal is much

changed 18 Objection to

returning bath 21 Everything around

terribly thin nest 22 Spendthrift lets

war break out 23 Like a garden ornament,

difficult to understand 24 Snow White’s

friend is dozy Down 1 Hurry to appointment at Ascot, say (Two words) 2 Last fellow broke nail 3 Point thorn out 4 Son ordered

operation on nose 5 Hits restraints 6 Page entry he wrote about experimental treatment (Two words) 9 Excessive talker

in a dirigible 10 Must turn British

before the French fall 14 Initially a debt 17 In the morning, soldiers return to Greek character 18 Support gets

student gloomy 19 Sprain from dance 20 Pasty as a bird