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 Prepared for couple on the day

5 He’s animated, but wilting

10 Chap with one cocktail

11 Fit for capture

12 Regret having liberal law

13 Man rewriting lyric

14 Mother has say – that’s excellent

15 Youngsters caught different bus

17 Fluid fairness? No way!

18 His pectorals come with instructions

22 Noticed stud breaking

carpenter’s product

23 I soiled new worship

24 Wild boars following

one line of pressure

25 New treat,

spreading gossip

Down

2 Countryside in

Outer Urals

3 First murderer gets

about at home

4 Girl on fast ship that rolls along the ground (Two words, hyphenated)

5 Excellence shows

contrast

6 Void as depicted

by poet

7 Quill makes

excellent point

8 Vague, that is, about

medium summary

9 Beach dude,

terribly corrupt

16 Sport for British birds 19 Heard noses

got award

20 Two-thirds of digit?

That’s insensitive

21 Mislaid in

Amarillo station