THE SKELETON CROSSWORD – £325 in prizes

There is a £100 prize for the first correct solution drawn; nine runners-up receive £25.

Send your completed crossword to the address shown in the box below left. In the skeleton crossword, the black squares and clue numbers have to be filled in as well as the words. Four black squares and four clue numbers have been inserted to give you a start. The black squares form a symmetrical pattern; the top half matches the bottom, and the two sides correspond. You can fill in 12 more squares at once to correspond with those given.

ACROSS

2 Tyrant cut around shop

being plundered

8 A bird overhead, in part 9 Bread decay infects starter 10 City pub running ale con 11 Points made about thirds

and tenths disheartened 13 Bat not quite over British

city

15 Family far closer thrilled... 16 ...stylish Greek character

casting lead

17 Sack fillers face anger 18 Egghead cut some hollow

covering

21 Great bounds of massive

silverback

23 Stars, for example, in

Virginia

24 Very bad line in dropped

record

25 A child brought around hot

food

26 Opening salvo oddly

doesn’t end 27 High-spirited ox is almost

caught by sly teen

DOWN

1 Fix last word in forecast 2 Light touches soothed back

muscles

3 Grease ruined a cut cloth 4 Some who peek sound

active

5 Free university without

openings

6 Dull but dishy leader set up 7 Officers place people in

rented accommodation 12 Fine conclusion of long

article

14 An offer none ultimately

accept

19 A hundred and four characters represented an island

20 City doubtless having cold

centre

22 Long answer a professional

cook cut off

23 Socialist wearing check

garment