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.

Send to: Skeleton Crossword, PO Box 12578, Sutton Coldfield B73 9BT. The winners will be the first correct entries drawn after the closing date of noon on Friday. Please allow 30 days for prizes to arrive.

ACROSS

1 Shrinkage has a cop in

denial

8 Piece about a country singer 9 Particularly concerning friend 10 Setback breaking a

European poet

13 Stupid warden seems

content

15 Copper enclosure nearly

empty

16 A divine messenger into fruit 17 Former source of animal

food

20 Esker’s exterior lines wear

away

23 Hook crewman returning

from dhow’s front judges 26 Country Lisa painted before

Colombia

27 Staff selection just business 28 Place to be revolting teen

snitch

DOWN

1 Bird caught by a roué 2 Jottings denial upset

3 Rebel leader with money 4 Many have depressed 5 Worry about overtime 6 Empty tavern entered by ace

engineer

7 Material not worn by an

unknown lady

11 A girl of 6 in disarray 12 Response given to those

generating heat

14 Letter written in secret

amazed!

15 Quiet Anglo-saxon writer 18 Island accommodation’s

initial cost

19 Suggestion to cut and run 21 Search for gold dropped in

anger

22 Stoop design with small

omission

23 Money back in France and

Hungary

24 A golfer beginning to earn

more

25 Claims always accepted by

saints