BLANKOUT

A crossword you construct yourself, adding the answers and the blanks as you go. The clues are in sets of one, two, three or four, guiding you to one, two, three or four words in each line (across) or column (down) indicated at the beginning of each set of clues. Each complete word has a blank at its beginning and end (unless it’s at the edge of the grid). Blanks are arranged symmetrically. To help you, we’ve given you a start with the answer to the clue on Line 11 – ‘Distant view’ – which yields the word ‘Vista’. This must sit in the centre of the line to preserve the symmetry.

ACROSS

1 Piano levers; Cricket target;

‘Dutch disease’ trees

3 Solving problems

5 A temporary work position 6 Baseball glove; Sunrise direction 7 Accepting the true nature of a situation

8 Have the same end-sound;

Further forward

9 Salt-water expanse; Chum, mate 10 Clumsy, bungling; Absolute

11 Distant view

12 Blacksmith’s block; Under, beneath 13 Elaborate lyric poem; Have bills to pay 14 Bring upon yourself; Deliberate fire-starting

15 Red playing card suit

16 Receive money as payment for a job; Mild explosive sounds

17 Or else

19 Withdrawing from service 21 Bloodstained; Childcare provider; Wedding cake layer

DOWN

A Leave to one side

B Nobleman; Courageous person C Herb often used with parsley in stuffing; Church of England priest D Carve a statue; Insignificant person

E Support for a billiard cue;

Upper House peer

F The rescue of a damaged ship; Barbaric

G Get up

H Improper, indecent; Put in jail I Terrace

J Declare openly; Loudly

K Substance made by steeping barley in water; Small ball forming part of a necklace

L Grounds of a mansion; ___ butter, popular spread

M Prevent, ward off; Rope with a noose, thrown to catch cattle N Umpteen; Leg joint

O Plastic discs used in a game