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

5 He goes on about

being a hiker

7 Note claim about having uranium or another element

9 Disentangle a

French composer 11 Taxi takes hard left

and is white

12 Boat transported a blend for some musicians

(Two words)

15 Find international group has insurance 17 Used as great crowd control device

(Two words)

19 Trendy woman

started fruit

20 Fight club for

hedging material Down

1 Forage around a

frequented place

2 Celebration makes

fellow tee off

3 City bowler first?

Different hat

4 Large turn by detectives – that’s clear 6 Disastrous gap in astronomy?

(Two words)

8 Flight attendants making crab wince terribly (Two words) 10 File about

registered inmate

11 Sneaked around,

terribly pert

13 Jealousy surrounding

old diplomat

14 Cabbage in an

Italian house

16 Creepy-sounding

lake

18 God of white roses