BARE BONES
Complete the grid – numbers and squares. 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. Answer next week.
Across
1 Flat dish has a taste 4 Person’s shape to have a significant role 9 Domestic creature that’s yellow
12 Briefly see good fib about politicians
14 Make a mistake out of terror
15 Round bees, terribly fat 16 Lose one’s nerve, putting deity in charge 17 Allow directions and heading
18 Fix glue, applying pressure as a helping hand (Two words)
20 Artist to object to a dish from India
22 Fool removes first slice of bread 23 African rug, and another, outside 25 In report, you will record Christmas fare (Two words) 27 Leaves a gymnastic manoeuvre
28 Secret note finished on time
Down
2 I would follow a black European bear
3 Starts to talk of exponential digit 5 I will shortly get sick 6 Mature scripture lessons by writer
7 Teach British and American transportation (Two words) 8 Profound variation in the tide (Two words) 10 Keen to improve home, get protective gear
(Two words)
11 Turn one off a particle 12 Please make Gary fit to work
13 Prime order with one large risk
19 Understanding key to file 21 Dreamer relied on performance without some energy
24 Wanting to include a tiny creature
26 Turn Foreign Office into something alien (abbr)