Guardian Quiptic 751 with Picture Quiz

(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.)   A standard Quiptic puzzle, with lots of anagrams to help the solver. Enjoyable. Thanks to Moley. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1 Crooked cop able to identify fake pill (7)

PLACEBO : Anagram of(Crooked) COP ABLE.

5 Music coming from the French boat first (7)

SKIFFLE : LE(French for “the”) placed after(… first, in an across clue) SKIFF(a small flat-bottomed shallow-draft boat).

Defn: … featuring the washboard and the tea-chest bass.

9 Play a tune in observatory initially, then on terrace (5)

PATIO : 1st letters, respectively, of(initially) “Play a tune in observatory “.

10 Spoiled turf to throw when collecting fungi (9)

TRUFFLING : Anagram of(Spoiled) TURF + FLING(to throw;to cast off). Nowadays trained dogs can do it too, and they don’t eat what they find.

 

11 Bon vivants are an infamously supine race (10)

EPICUREANS : Anagram of(infamously) SUPINE RACE.

12 Jewel in ring father left (4)

OPAL : O(letter representing a ring shape) + PA(informal term for one’s father) + L(abbrev. for “left”).

14 Unfeeling prelate dealt with vehicle identification (6,5)

NUMBER PLATE : NUMB(unfeeling;without sensation) + anagram of(… dealt with) PRELATE.

18 Censored bowlers died tragically (11)

BOWDLERISED : Anagram of(tragically) BOWLERS DIED.

Answer: From Thomas Bowdler who published an edition of Shakespeare with what he considered indecent material removed.

21 Poems of almost all styles (4)

ODES : “modes”(styles;fashions) minus its last letter(almost all).

22 Gypsies‘ move set in train (10)

ITINERANTS : Anagram of(move) SET IN TRAIN.

25 Secured, after pause for a meal (9)

BREAKFAST : FAST(secured;firmly fixed, or, well, fastened) placed after(after, in an across clue) BREAK(a pause;a temporary interval of rest).

26 Villain‘s gore spilled around university (5)

ROGUE : Anagram of(spilled) GORE containing(around) U(abbrev. for “university”).

27 Journalist recalled retinue had to get off at a station (7)

DETRAIN : Reversal of(… recalled) ED(abbrev. for an editor;a journalist) + TRAIN(a retinue;a procession of people in attendance). Defn: … from a train.

28 Dress at one’s home ground (7)

HABITAT : HABIT(a distinctive dress or costume, especially of a religious order) + AT.

Down

1 Enthusiasm of up and coming salesman for spice (6)

PEPPER : PEP(enthusiasm;liveliness) + reversal of(up and coming) REP(abbrev. for a sales representative).

2 Rob from boat train on the way up to reach one’s goal (6)

ATTAIN : Reversal of(… on the way up, in a down clue) “Rob ” deleted from(from) “boat train “.

3 Silver-tongued Liberal unknown speaks in a spell-binding way (10)

ELOQUENTLY : ELOQUENT(silver-tongued;speaking persuasively) + L(abbrev. for a Liberal politician) + Y(one of the symbols in mathematics for an unknown variable). A not very satisfying kind of clue – where a (major) part of the wordplay is essentially the root word for the definition.

4 Bizarre route in need of repair (5)

OUTRE : Anagram of(… in need of repair) ROUTE. 5

Wastes new day inside square’s compound (9)

SQUANDERS : ND(abbrevs. for “new” and “day”, respectively) contained in(inside) anagram of(… compound) SQUARE’S.

6 Gen to illuminate notes Foreign Office initially assembled (4)

INFO : 1st letters, respectively, of(… initially assembled) “illuminate notes Foreign Office “.

Defn: Information.

7 Just tolerable drama (4,4)

FAIR PLAY : FAIR(of a tolerable standard, not good nor bad) + PLAY(a drama work on stage).

8 Somehow need to protect breach before being overwhelmed (8)

ENGULFED : Anagram of(Somehow) NEED containing(to protect) GULF(a breach;a wide gap).

13 Crustacean able to trap flies? (6,4)

SPIDER CRAB : Cryptic defn: … named after the insect that is able to trap flies.

15 Note two alluding to American author (4,5)

MARK TWAIN : MARK(to note;to indicate something that is to be distinguished from the rest) + TWAIN(two). I presume that “alluding” signifies that it is a pen name for the author.

16 Sailor, to a great extent badly bred, becomes engaged (8)

ABSORBED : AB(abbrev. for “able-bodied seaman”;a sailor) + SO(to a great extent, as in “she’s so fine”) + anagram of(badly) BRED.

17 Dainty, unusual set that’s most delightful (8)

SWEETEST : SWEET(dainty;cute) + anagram of(unusual) SET. Same comment as for 3 down.

19 Hero in audition in audition after sundown (6)

KNIGHT : Homophone of(in audition) “night”(the period after sundown).

20 Facet of dreadful spa using shock therapy (6)

ASPECT : Anagram of(dreadful) SPA plus(using) ECT(abbrev. for “electroconvulsive therapy”;shock therapy using electric currents). It would really come as a shock if that were part of the treatment at a spa … unless it was one that masochists went to – and a dreadful spa for others.

23 Negative church score (5)

NOTCH : NOT(indicating a negative) + CH(abbrev. for “church”).

Defn: A mark made for keeping tally, eg. with a V-shaped cut.

24 Lady’s fingers drawn by fine artist (4)

OKRA : OK(fine;okay) + RA(post-nominal letters indicating a member of the Royal Academy of Arts). Defn: Vegetable shaped like, well, lady’s or ladies’ fingers.

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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.)