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 four-way 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 1026, The Mail on Sunday, PO Box 3451, Norwich NR7 7NR. Entries must arrive by Friday, December 17 (photocopies not accepted). The winner’s name will be published on January 2 from the first correct entry drawn. Winner of Bare Bones No 1023: Simon Maisey, of Swindon, Wiltshire.

Across

5 Scold agent over chaos

8 Amount of cooked food gets one sore

11 Cautious without answer – that’s ironic

12 Gelatin – terrible advertising slogan (Two words)

13 Original antique

14 Ring, having registered slander online

15 Desire a small cake

20 Insect sounds like a character 21 I will turn – that blows no-one any good (Two words)

22 Lashed around a tree

23 Bone from whole bird included

24 Finds a closet has been ordered

Down

1 Develop labrador’s first bark

2 Measure importance endlessly

3 Grips strange shoot

4 Team has left something in the playground

6 No rise in cryogenics? (Two words)

7 After month, I left feline a huge amount

9 European clad in new diamonds first

10 Diagram showing speed of river? (Two words)

16 A party surprise

17 Clamber about branch

18 Bitterness about British holy book

19 Trunk coming from Manchester