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 Stroganoff ingredient gets a complaint 4 Hear about bishop getting a course of treatment 7 Appealing to remove end of article 9 Dog really has captured a monster 10 Risking removing first three items of jewellery 11 Internal supporter of foul nature 12 Predator, to you and me, is a sign of spring 13 Use of needle causes sharp pain 14 Speak at great length of a batter cake 18 Wonderful to get Spanish article, like a cat 20 Wise men unite graduate with soldier 21 Attorney takes sheep to see play 22 Communication in a set of letters 23 Officers’ room in an untidy state 24 Struggle to get iron into thin sheet 25 Stagger to see a film

DOWN

2 Keen to agree to change 3 European cooks fast food side dish (Two words) 4 Type of puzzle concerning transport 5 Robbery is the new arrangement 6 Fake coach has to go back 7 Vegetable makes dog bloom, by the sound of it 8 Pick-me-up, usually after a gin 15 A portal made of stone 16 Give purpose to old wife 17 Fracas about losing a fashion accessory 18 Fellow finds haven to show talent 19 Courage is never out of sorts