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 – ‘Mould of gold’ – which yields the word ‘Ingot’. This must sit in the centre of the line to preserve the symmetry.

ACROSS

1 Official proclamation; Oak’s fruit 2 Poisonous, noxious

3 Darkness; Wash

4 Polite, well-mannered

5 Phoney; False name

6 Twirl, rotate; High quality

7 Team of two

8 Actor in a crowd scene; Pungent vegetable

9 Chewy sweet made from sugar and butter

10 Pantry; Flower’s sweet liquid 11 Mould of gold

12 Tribal leaders; Create a decoration in relief

13 Formal talk

14 Mexican sauce or dip; Nightclub with recorded music

15 Little mythical creature

16 Crossword pattern; Spoken, of the mouth

17 Venomous snake of India and Africa; Fearful

18 Alcove by a fire

19 Hammered bolt used to join sheets of metal; Wash off soap

20 Guide (a vehicle)

21 Open speech sound; Inuit snow-hut

DOWN

A Warlike

B Large blob; Spotted game-piece C Move a spoon around (in tea, eg); Lazy

D Spring flower; Lament, mourn E Forget the location of, lose; Conspicuously wrong

F Come up

G Annual plant with aromatic seeds; Belief without evidence

H Worry, dread

I Give false facts to; Without basis J Walk in

K Tall thin person; Peacemaker L Small bed or cot for a baby; Affection

M Light spray; Depose

N Warm up a second time; Complete shambles O Trespass