(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.) A straightforward and enjoyable puzzle from Armonie, to whom, thanks. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Polemic can change submissiveness (10)
COMPLIANCE : Anagram of(… change) POLEMIC CAN.
6 Virtuoso injects heroin when in pain (4)
ACHE : ACE(a virtuoso;an expert) containing(injects) H(abbrev. for “heroin”).
9 Irritable, having no more classes (3,2,5)
OUT OF SORTS : OUT OF(having no more, eg. stock) SORTS(classes;categories).
10 Informer keeps president absorbed (4)
RAPT : RAT(an informer;a betrayer) containing( ) P(abbrev. for “president”).
12 Ought in more difficult circumstances to stop here (4,8)
HARD SHOULDER : SHOULD(ought to) contained in(in … circumstances) HARDER(more difficult).
Defn: … if you are having difficulty driving on a motorway. Nice surface.
15 “This drug is awful”, he repined (9)
EPHEDRINE : Anagram of(awful) HE REPINED.
Defn: … used to treat asthma, hay fever, and colds.
17 Motor specialist is a half-hearted landscapist (5)
TUNER : “Turner”(J.M. William, English landscape artist) minus 1 of its 2 central letters(half-hearted …).
Defn: … who adjusts your vehicle engine for maximum performance.
18 Brief taken from master sergeant (5)
TERSE : Hidden in(taken from) “master sergeant “.
Defn: Spare with;using few words.
19 Lout astir, prepared for lessons (9)
TUTORIALS : Anagram of(…, prepared) LOUT ASTIR.
20 On reflection audit should include old-style goods (2,10)
IN RETROSPECT : INSPECT(to audit;to examine, correct and certify) containing(should include) RETRO(old-style goods;fashion, styles, and designs reminiscent of a past period).
24 Time to keep close to hoodlum (4)
THUG : T(abbrev. for “time”) + HUG(to keep close to, as in “the lazy ocean hugs the shore”).
25 Desk for display in south-east Mediterranean island (10)
SECRETAIRE : AIR(to display;to show openly) contained in(in) [ S.E.(abbrev. for “south-east”) + CRETE(the Greek Mediterranean island).
26 Deer takes one for a ride (4)
DOES : Double defn: 1st: … of the female kind; and 2nd: Slang for “dupes;fools one”.
27 Pretty sash gets undone in dance (10)
STRATHSPEY : Anagram of(… gets undone) PRETTY SASH.
Defn: … in 4/4 time, originating from Scotland.
Down
1 Bird caught with string (4)
CROW : C(abbrev. for “caught” in cricket) plus(with) ROW(a string of similar things).
2 Silencer Mike put on Victorian pick-up (4)
MUTE : M(letter represented by “Mike” in the phonetic alphabet) plus( , in a down clue) + UTE(a term used in Australia, including its state of Victoria, for a utility vehicle;a pick-up truck).
Defn: A device for muting the sound from an instrument – though not much use if it totally silences.
3 Daft headline becomes critically important (4-3-5)
LIFE-AND-DEATH : Anagram of(… becomes) DAFT HEADLINE.
4 Keep away from a chasm (5)
AVOID : A + VOID(a chasm;an emptiness).
5 Hear people talk initially in drainage basin (9)
CATCHMENT : CATCH(to hear, as with a conversation) + MEN(people in general, or at least about half of them) + 1st letter of(… initially) “talk “.
Defn: A structure, eg. a reservoir, for collecting water drained from the surroundings.
7 Cautious about Italian woman’s white wine (10)
CHARDONNAY : CHARY(cautious;wary of) containing(about) DONNA(a polite form of address for an Italian woman).
8 Plan to go in by force (10)
ENTERPRISE : ENTER(to go into) plus(by) PRISE(to force open).
Defn: An undertaking;a project to achieve an end.
11 Bachelor says bed companion is sweet (12)
BUTTERSCOTCH : B(abbrev. for “Bachelor”) + UTTERS(says) + COT(a small bed, especially for a baby) + CH(abbrev. for the British title, “Companion of Honour”). An amusing surface.
13 Authoritarian breaks instrument that’s not for public use (10)
RESTRICTED : STRICT(authoritarian, as an adjective) contained in(breaks) REED(a primitive instrument made of a hollow reed stalk, or any of the modern instruments with a mouthpiece with a reed;a strip of cane or metal).
14 Plan to recycle liqueur (10)
CHARTREUSE : CHART(to plan;to plot in detail a course of action) + RE-USE(to re-cycle stuff).
16 Vagrant entered in race is withdrawn (9)
INTROVERT : ROVER(a vagrant;a wanderer) contained in(entered) [IN + TT(abbrev. for the Tourist Trophy motorcycle races held annually on the Isle of Man) ].
21 Coat for relative touring old vessel (5)
PARKA : PA(a familiar term for one’s father, a very close relative) containing(touring) ARK(an old vessel).
22 Softy with little devil (4)
WIMP : W(abbrev. for “with”) + IMP(a little devil;a mischievous child).
Defn: One who is figuratively spineless.
23 Contradict unknown understudy? (4)
DENY : Y(symbol for an unknown quantity in mathematics) placed below(under …, in a down clue) DEN(a study;a room for quiet activity).
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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.)
2) is the secretary bird in the emblem for Sudan: SECRETAIRE is also the french word for secretary.
3)Iis a picture of the CROW (Corvus) constellation
1) is a picture of some Indian Thugees from which we get the word THUG
6) is a photo from the movie The Pit and the Pendulum, in which the narrator (and prisoner) shows ENTERPRISE in luring the rats to gnaw through the ropes that tied him down (perhaps?)
Drawing a blank on the game of GO and the Gutenberg press
Thanks scchua
You’re right, Freddy with #1,2, and 3. Well done!
#5 The role of the starship ENTERPRISE was to boldy GO where no man has ever been before.
#4 The type is pressed onto a printer’s STONE as in Hancock’s famous utterance – “Stone the CROWs”.
#6 – the Spanish Inquisition’s aim was to ensure COMPLIANCE with religious orthodoxy
Hi Freddy and JollySwagman,
Pic#4: The individual letters in a printing typeset are called SORTS. And if a printer were out of sorts, he could be, well, OUT OF SORTS.
Pic#5: In the game of go, LIFE AND DEATH is a concept to indicate whether groups of stones can remain indefinitely on the board (alive) or whether they will be captured during the game (dead).
Pic#6: The Pit and the Pendulum was written by Edgar Allan Poe, who also wrote The Raven, a bird belonging to the genus CROW. BTW Vincent Price (shown) starred in the film adaptations of both stories.