BARE BONES

WIN A COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY AND THESAURUS SET, AND A BRADFORD’S CROSSWORD SOLVER’S DICTIONARY

Our Bare Bones Crossword is unique because you have to complete the grid – numbers and squares – as well. We have inserted four black squares and four clue numbers to get you going. The crossword has a fourway symmetry: both top and bottom and left and right match, so you can fill in 12 more squares straight away.

Across

1 Use wings to make a bet 5 Fiend existed the wrong way 7 Snake is more annoyed without a head 10 Ready for collection 11 Mother holds front of grille – it’s molten 12 Drive, having one medium exercise left 13 Paid to get comfortable on the day 15 Now engaged with Welshman 16 Rice prepared for a man 17 Pans set out for suitability 21 Tired of mineral and diamonds 22 Treating initial corrosion provides confidence 23 Cairo has an atmosphere 24 I’m on target, returning to US location 25 Correct this writer, in conclusion 26 A turn performed by a student is unaffected

Down

1 Reportedly runs away from insects 2 Turn pets out, distressed 3 A large drink before sum 4 Frenzied sailor free to go round 5 Preserve barriers on a lot of traffic (Two words) 6 Virginia broadcast guide on each foggy notion (Two words) 8 Leaving Peru trade in confusion 9 Cleared to move, so moved 14 Healthy colour in Istanbul 17 Mad flurry of trendy paperwork 18 Farm vehicle doesn’t finish area 19 Panic, losing head, making a mistake 20 Alloy that’s a bargain, by the sound of it