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.608, 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.607 is Peggy Kelly-Mooney, Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare.

Across

1 Fruit gives family zero scope (Two words) 9 Tie causes a tricky situation 10 Group of criminals produce some notes 11 Cappuccino only taken around Midday 12 Noel worked with revolutionary level of command 14 A large German trained bear in equations 16 Gloom has men worried in the country 18 Odd to have set off, having called 21 Catch sight of, and point to, mole 22 Put off, having left one Dutch export 24 Mar movement by unknown armed force 25 Officers have dangly spin in balloon (Two words)

Down

2 All Ed ordered was an item of cutlery 3 Choose to work at the top 4 Exalted Scandinavian figure is too much at home 5 Join a couple of dukes 6 Information that is following in spirit 7 Important person in the dairy industry (Two words) 8 Courageous, originally fed up reporting chess, say (Two words) 13 Alternatively get a means of propulsion 15 Permit a chance to play again 17 Public official might get gold 19 Gather together a large amount 20 Agree not to start in a friendly state 22 Time at home, in one’s element 23 Father left as a friend