(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.) At first glance, this looked daunting, with its 15-letter answers round the perimeter. But it wasn’t that bad after all, in fact it was an smooth enjoyable solve. Thanks to Gurney. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Dreadful boob amidst clues is confusing! (15)
DISCOMBOBULATES : Anagram of(Dreadful) BOOB AMIDST CLUES.
Answer: A word of American origin.
9 Original developer of waterside feature one secured (7)
PIONEER : PIER(a waterside feature) containing(… secured) ONE.
10 It’s unusual and courageous to change sides (7)
VARIANT : “valiant”(courageous) with “l”(abbrev. for the left side) changed to “r”(abbrev. for the right side) (to change sides).
11 Charge after second college fight (5)
SCRAP : RAP(a charge;an accusation or criticism) placed after(after) [ S(abbrev. for “second”, in time notation) + C(abbrev. for “college”) ].
12 Tree gets second prize, sixty per cent of first (6,3)
SILVER FIR : SILVER(second prize, between the gold and bronze medals) + the 1st 3 letters out of 5 of(sixty per cent of) “first “.
13 Conclude irate men ultimately must reform (9)
TERMINATE : Anagram of(reform) [IRATE MEN + last letter of(ultimately) “must “].
15 Drink, jar of choice, regularly brought over (5)
COCOA : The 2nd and every other letter of(regularly) reversal of(brought over) “jar of choice “.
16 Country kid changed in the end (5)
CHILE : “child”(a kid) with its last letter changed(changed in the end).
18 Sinatra broadcast associated with US nationals (9)
AUSTRIANS : Anagram of(broadcast) SINATRA containing(associated with) US.
20 Players upset her co-star (9)
ORCHESTRA : Anagram of(upset) HER CO-STAR.
23 Old, retired workers joining party – that’s better! (5)
OUTDO : O(abbrev. for “old”) + reversal of(retired) TU(abbrev. for “trade union”;workers collectively) plus(joining) DO(a party;a social function).
Defn: As a verb.
24 Candidate – minor figure: note indication of name change (7)
NOMINEE : NO.(a minor form;abbrev. for “number”;a figure) + MI(the 3rd tone in the diatonic musical scale) + NEE(an indication of a woman’s maiden name before her name change).
25 Investigate old American explosive device (7)
EXAMINE : EX-(the prefix indicating “former”;old) + A(abbrev. for “American”) + MINE(an explosive device).
26 Roué, lusty spirit, working with stealth (15)
SURREPTITIOUSLY : Anagram of(working) ROUÉ, LUSTY SPIRIT.
Down
1 Cop outdistances criminal finding sources of funds (7,8)
DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS : Anagram of(criminal) COP OUTDISTANCES.
2 More confident about company, one cleans up (7)
SCOURER : SURER(more confident) containing(about) CO.(abbrev. for a commercial company).
3 Charge too much for crop initially – I reprove angrily (9)
OVERPRICE : Anagram of(angrily) [1st letter of(initially) “crop” + I REPROVE].
4 Poet feels strong emotion (5)
BURNS : Double defn: 1st: Scottish poet, Robert.
5 Wood workers, ones celebrating wildly when rector becomes bishop (9)
BEVELLERS : “revellers”(ones celebrating wildly) with “r”(abbrev. for “rector”) replaced by “b”(abbrev. for “bishop”, say, in chess)( when … becomes …).
Answer: Machines, specifically to cut bevels in timber.
6 Generous contribution from popular German (5)
LARGE : Hidden in(contribution from) “popular German “.
7 Craft if moving? (7)
TRAFFIC : Anagram of(moving) CRAFT IF.
Answer: Collective noun for moving craft;vehicles. A WIWD (wordplay intertwined with definition) clue.
8 Value highly having firm, Harrods, say, alongside (3,5,5,2)
SET GREAT STORE BY : SET(firm;having decided, not about to be changed) + GREAT STORE(an example of which;say, is Harrods in London) + BY(alongside).
14 Excited parent at opening of modern place to live (9)
APARTMENT : Anagram of(Excited) [PARENT AT + 1st letter of(opening of) “modern“].
15 Fuss after removing covers, scary agent cut diamond (9)
CARBONADO : ADO(fuss;bother) placed below(after, in a down clue) [ “scary ” minus its 1st and last letters(removing covers) + “Bond”(James, fictional secret agent) minus its last letter(cut) ].
Answer: An inferior variety of diamond used for polishing and drilling, aka black diamond.
17 No native icon relaxing overlooking French waters (7)
INCOMER : Anagram of(relaxing) ICON placed above(overlooking, in a down clue) MER(French for the sea;waters).
Answer: A person who comes to live in a place he/she was not born in.
19 Gets to answer, that’s terrific, announces inexperienced novice solver just starting (7)
ATTAINS : 1st letters, respectively, of(just starting) “answer, that’s terrific, announces inexperienced novice solver “.
21 Guy from north in lake (5)
ERNIE : N(abbrev. for “north”) contained in(in) ERIE(one of the Great Lakes in North America).
22 Lively following drink? Right! (5)
ALERT : ALE(an alcoholic drink) + RT(abbrev. for “right”).
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The following pictures have unidentified connections with the puzzle.
(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.)
Hi scchua,
Pic 6 shows a premium bond (and an old man) – relating to ERNIE.
Hi Scchua
The ‘Old Man’ in Pic 6 is Harold Macmillan – the British Prime Minister who introduced the Premium Bond.
I met him on one occasion when we shared a Railway Compartment on a train from London Victoria to Haywards Heath – where he got off.
He was a nice old boy and we had a nice chat.
Thanks scchua.
Pic 1 appears to be Benicio Del Toro who played Che (call me ERNIE) Guevara. He was also
in TRAFFIC. Probably not what you were going for?
Pic 7 is Robert Redford and Mia Farrow who starred in The Great Gatsby but I don’t get the tie-in.
Pic 3 includes CHILE but that’s probably too obvious.
Cheers…
Hi Muffyword, Bryan and grandpuzzler. As you say:
Pic1 is Benecio Del Toro, who won an Oscar for TRAFFIC.
Pic6 is Harold Macmillan who introduced the UK Premium Bond, with its random number generator, ERNIE. (Ernie Guevara was inventive and amusing, as you probably intended.) And that encounter would have been in the old days when you were not hustled off by security if you came within a mile of the PM.
Pic 3 together with 2 others link to the same answer in the crossword.
Pic7 has only one of them linked to the crossword.
OK. Pic 7 – Robert Redford starred in The CANDIDATE.
Right again, grandpuzzler.
CARBONADOs are found only in the Central African Republic (Pic 2) and Brazil (Pic 3) and one of the theories foe their orogin is that they were brought to Earth by a meteorite (Pic 5).
Th SILVER FIR yields an essential oil (Pic 4).