BARE BONES

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 Pocket Thesaurus.saurus Send your solution to: Bare Bones Puzzle No.493, The Irish Mail on Sunday, PO Box 5332, Cardiff Lane, Dublin 2. Entries must arrive by Friday (photocopies not accepted). The winner of Bare Bones No. 492 is Kate Lawlor, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. Acros s 1 Bringing up unfinished fruit 4 Hates sailor reaching bay without end 8 Horror writer gets reaction only to something chilling? That’s apt (Two words) 10 Affray I got involved in – rubbish 11 Filth rejected by my ventriloquist’s puppet 12 Built with insane energy 13 Frenchman’s girl seen round university 15 Incentive to live when accepting support 17 Sport in which Georgia is pitted against Maine 18 Test red alert about seizing the PM’s residence (Two words) 19 Work with wise man to produce some medicine 20 One speaking of gold near a rocky hill

Down

1 About to get proper with editor, being told off 2 Lazy part of finer times 3 Story of one getting laid out 5 Vehicle close to getting military cover 6 Poppy extract gobbled up by emu I poached 7 It measures rate of deepest Rome excavation 9 Preserve dynasty by preventing radio broadcasts 14 Detective unravelling lies about wife 15 Crooner wearing locket initially and much vulgar jewellery 16 Go into teen’s trouble with recipe 17 Party-goer stabbed in the dark we hear