(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.) A warm-up to tomorrow’s prize challenge. Solved this in patches. Thanks to Nutmeg. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Country tavern bathed in antiquity? (8)
REPUBLIC : PUB(a tavern) contained in(bathed in) RELIC(an antiquity, an object belonging or dating from ancient times).
5 Emissary almost gets over smoothly (6)
LEGATO : “legate”(an official emissary, say, one representing the Pope) minus its last letter(almost) plus(gets) O(abbrev. for “over”, in cricket scores).
Defn: … played, per the musical direction.
9 Express search for weapon (3,5)
AIR RIFLE : AIR(to express;to make known) + RIFLE(to search thoroughly).
10 Gathering in (2-4)
AT-HOME : [AT HOME](in one’s home).
Defn: A social gathering held in one’s home.
12 Metric unit returns wrong temperature (not Fahrenheit) (5)
TESLA : Reversal of(returns) [ “false”(wrong) + T(abbrev. for “tempterature”) minus(not) “F”(abbrev. for Fahrenheit) ].
Defn: … of measurement of magnetic flux density, named after Nikola Tesla.
13 Spooner’s old horse set forth but couldn’t get moving (9)
STAGNATED : Spoonerism of[“nag”(an old horse) + “stated”(set forth;expressed in words) ].
14 Like a bigot actively enjoying vigorous net rally (12)
INTOLERANTLY : INTO(enjoying;keenly interested in) + anagram of(vigorous) NET RALLY.
Defn: How a bigot acts;behaves.
18 Change to services in exclusive diners (12)
INSECTIVORES : Anagram of(Change) TO SERVICES IN.
Defn: Mammals that include moles and hedgehogs that have a specific diet.
21 Drop in state benefit, small part of large range (9)
DOLOMITES : OMIT(to drop;not to consider) contained in(in) DOLE(state benefit for the unemployed) + S(abbrev. for “small”).
Defn: A mountain range that is part of the Alps, the larger range.
23 A spoken opening to worship (5)
ADORE : A + homophone of(spoken) “door”(an opening into an enclosure).
24 Applicant‘s hostile answer struck out in court (6)
CLIENT : “alien”(hostile;opposed to) minus(… struck out) “a”(abbrev. for “answer) contained in(in) CT(abbrev. for “court”, a short street).
Defn: One who applies for, or requests, say, advice from a professional person.
25 Setting about ‘eadgear to protect aviator (6,2)
FLYING AT : [FLYING “hat”](whimsically, headgear to protect one who is flying;an aviator) minus its aspirate(as in “‘eadgear“).
Defn: Attacking fiercely.
26 Drunkard’s put up with familiar routine (6)
SHTICK : A drunkard’s way of pronouncing “stick”(put up with, as in “… was willing to stick with her …”).
Defn: …;act of a comedian.
27 Sharpness in Greek cooking not good for rice dish (8)
KEDGEREE : EDGE(a sharpness;a thin edge suitable for cutting) contained in(in) anagram of(… cooking) “Greek” minus(not) “g”(abbrev. for “good”).
Down
1 Tailor working in Venice area (6)
RIALTO : Anagram of(… working) TAILOR.
2 Bite the dust like a snake, six having escaped (6)
PERISH : “viperish”(like a viper, the snake) minus(… having escaped) “VI”(Roman numeral for “six”).
3 This country’s beer lacks content – I like tea! (9)
BRITANNIC : “beer” minus its inner letters(lacks content) + I + TANNIC(like tea;containing tannins).
Defn: Of this country, Britain.
4 Tricksters briefly oppress faithful patriots, pinching capital (12)
ILLUSIONISTS : “ill-use”(to oppress;to treat badly) minus its last letter(briefly …) + “Zionists”(faithful patriots of Zionism) minus its1st letter(pinching capital).
6 Defeated leader’s taken off and put away (5)
EATEN : “beaten”(defeated) minus its 1st letter(leader’s taken off).
Defn: … into one’s stomach.
7 Germany’s fifth column worried traitor (8)
APOSTATE : The 5th letter of(…’s fifth) “Germany ” + POST(a column) + ATE(worried, as in “his guilt ate at him”).
8 Nothing makes money round terminus when we can look round (4,4)
OPEN DAYS : O(letter signifying zero;nothing) + PAYS(makes money, as in “a pension plan that pays him”) containing(round) END(the terminus, say, of a bus route).
Defn: Times when we, the public, can look round an institution, eg. a school.
11 Miss cheese, served up with wine about one (12)
MADEMOISELLE : Reversal of(…, served up) EDAM(a Dutch cheese) plus(with) MOSELLE(a German light white wine) containing(about) I(Roman numeral for “one’).
Defn: The French equivalent of the English “miss”, a young unmarried girl or woman. A multinational clue.
15 Getting mean, incensed by Catholic petition (9)
AVERAGING : RAGING(incensed with anger) placed below(by, in a down clue) AVE(short for “Ave Maria”, the Catholic prayer petitioning the Virgin Mary).
16 Raised routes through Cape adopted by northbound boss (8)
VIADUCTS : VIA(through;by way of) + [ C(abbrev. for “cape” in geography) contained in(adopted by) reversal of(northbound, in a down clue) STUD(a boss;a circular rounded protuberance) ].
17 Traditionally, David‘s son taken in by seer (8)
PSALMIST : S(abbrev. for “son”) contained in(taken in by) PALMIST(a professed seer who reads palms).
Defn: The biblical King David to whom was traditionally attributed many of the Psalms in the Bible.
19 Fish suitable for tea dance, say (6)
CONGER : Homophone of(…, say) “conga”(a dance originating in Cuba).
Defn: …, some species of which are used as food, for tea perhaps.
20 Project to scuttle bombardier, potentially (6)
BEETLE : Triple defn: 1st: To project;to overhang; and 2nd: To scuttle;to scurry; and 3rd: An example of which;potentially, is the bombardier.
22 Obsessive turning up in Scotsman’s clothing (5)
MANIC : Reversal of(turning up) IN contained in(…’s clothing) MAC(Gaelic for “son”, used as a prefix in many Scottish surnames).
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The following pictures have unidentified links to the puzzle.
(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.)
I’ve been looking forward to this, scchua!
Pic 1 as an electric car like a
Pic 4 illustrates the Allegory of the Cave from Plato’s REPUBLIC?
Post 1 for some reason missed out the last word – TESLA! (I think I was holding down Ctrl rather than Shift)
Floundering a bit now.
Pic 2 is apparently a bank – the banking area of Venice was the RIALTO?
Pic 3 books might include Encyclopedia BRITANNICa?
Pic 6, DOLOMITE crystals are sometimes cut and set into bracelets etc.
Pic 3, the books are ‘bound’ = LEGATO, Italian from Latin ligare ‘bind’.
Pic 5 is Bing Crosby and David Bowie recording “Little drummer boy”, but I can’t make a connection.
Hi muffin, thought I would give you a head start since I had the quiz on the FT almost to myself the other day (not that I am likely to get any right answers); think most people were too exhausted after Crucible’s puzzle.
Hi Cookie
Yes – there’s been very little interest on the crossword blog itself.
Any ideas about the Crosby/Bowie one?
No idea muffin, have only been to the cinema about 5 times in the last 50 years, and no longer watch television, no time in the evenings.
[muffin, I understand now, it is the Christmas song they are recording, not a film. Little drummer boys used to lead troops into battle, my late husband when a junior doctor attended an old man who had been a drummer boy in the Ashanti Wars.]
Right muffin:
Pic4 That’s from Plato’s REPUBLIC
Pic1 TESLA Motors Inc makes electric cars.
Hints: Pic2 It’s not what the building is that’s material
Pic5 It’s 1/2 of the pic that’s relevant
Pic6 You could call them something else
2 of the 6 pics link to the same solution.
muffin, it is ‘David’ Bowie, but would one call him a PSALMIST?
Cookie @13
scchua told us a few puzzles ago that the links are now always to solutions rather than clues, so I don’t think “David” is relevant.
pic 5) David Bowie played Nikola TESLA in the movie The Prestige
Pic 6 I would call “bangles”, but again no connection for me.
Well done Freddy – I’ve read the book, but never seen the film.
Right Freddy.
Oh, I forgot to mention that 1 of the pics has links to 2 of the solutions.
Pic 2 illustrates that modern architecture has STAGNATED at the use of plate glass.
I was dimly aware that The Bangles (ref pic 6) was the name of a rock band, and Google informs me they “sang” MANIC Monday.
And thanks, muffin, for getting “bangles.”
pic 5) In the movie The Prestige, Nikola Tesla (Bowie) (re-)creates a machine that duplicates whatever is placed inside it, thus creating the ILLUSION of teletransportation ??
pic 3) shows a pile of hardcover books: a BEETLE’s exoskeleton could be said to be a hard cover ??
Is there a second reference in 4 to the notion that the shadows on Plato’s cave are the works of ILLUSIONISTS?
Good one, Muffin.
pic 2) The use of highly reflective flat glass in building gives the ILLUSION of a solid wall: you could say the architects were ILLUSIONISTS?
Pic 2, the glass gives an ILLUSION of being the sky
Correct, Ian SW3 with MANIC Monday.
Correct, Freddy, but a simpler explanation: The Prestige’s 2 protagonists are ILLUSIONISTS.
Good progress! only 2 to go.
Pic 3, the books give the impression of spinning around, RIFLE (a gun the has a rifled barrel causes bullets to spin).
Pic 3, the bookworm is a BEETLE
The modern plate glass (pic 2) process was invented by Alistair Pilkington, and Karl Pilkington (no relation, as far as I am aware) played a caveman (pic 4)in The Invention of Lying, another reference to Plato’s REPUBLIC?
Hints: It’s not what the building is that’s material (my @12), it’s the material that’s material.
And with pic3, it’s not the product, it’s the process.
P&c 2, CONGER eels go through a juvenile ‘glass eel’ stage
pic 2, DOLOMITE is used to make ‘float glass’
Right, Cookie, processed DOLOMITE, the mineral , is uded in manufacturing plate glass.
Pic 3, ‘The Book of PSALMS’ is the first book of the ‘Writings’, the third section of the Hebrew Bible.
Having come late to this, am I right in thinking that pic 3 relates to one of REPUBLIC, TESLA, DOLOMITES, MANIC & ILLUSIONISTS?
pic 3) The demand for hardback books has STAGNATED ??
I give up, scchua – thanks for the added entertainment.
That was me, Freddy, @36: the software omitted my name, but not me @37
Many thanks for the fun scchua
Freddy @38
? – 37 was definitely me!
Freddy says:
@37,39 the ‘not’ in italics was omitted by the sofware
You are not yet identified as I view the website
To help you out, Freddy, 37 and 39 were both me, muffin.
Pic 3, books, OK, how about FLY leaf…
Whatever has happened to muffin, I hope you have not eaten him, Freddy?
………..or Cookie, either!
All’s well now, identities recovered. Not sure whether it was my machine or the website.
When printing was a costly undertaking, especially for big projects like encyclopaedias, in the 18C and early 19C, the CONGER was a group of booksellers formed to share the costs and profits of printing and selling these books.
Thanks scchua for all the fun, don’t think I would ever have ‘dug out’ the CONGER/bookseller link!