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. Send your solution to: Bare Bones Puzzle No.???, 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.556 is Sheila Fitzgerald, Newtownforbes, Co. Longford. Across 1 In France, you remodel grid that is congested 5 Unusual lustre, in the end 10 Terribly bad sign from below the chest 11 Slow German artist having two functions 12 Grow crops for a fellow member 13 Turbojet tycoons have their own pier 14 Study time of visible damage 15 Bird starts to imitate boy – in Spanish 17 Ruin earth by putting phosphorus in 18 Pressure the French with a request 22 Chap leaves one city for another 23 Suitable expression from gloomy expert 24 Recycling yourself, getting too dependent 25 Three games of whist – that’s flexible

Down

2 Mistake, losing leaders below 3 Sort of bird that’s willing 4 The German tavern included politicians in social event (Two words) 5 Conservative player on one side of the pitch (Two words, hyphenated) 6 Break siesta, initially, then have another short sleep 7 Behold employment for a parasite 8 Knot is not completely a problem (Two words) 9 Fixed charges for an apartment (Two words) 16 One transaction is the perfect example 19 Happy to lose first and last contract 20 Star takes time to produce surprise 21 Climbing around branch of a tree