Guardian Cryptic 26440 with Picture Quiz

(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow.  To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.)   An enjoyable puzzle that wasn’t much of a problem, thanks to Paul.   Definitions are underlined in the clues.  Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1    502 shillings invested in plant covered the wound (7)

DRESSED : D(Roman numeral for 500) + [ S,S(2 x abbrev. for “shilling”) contained in(invested in) REED(a plant) ].

5    A flipping flat-bottomed vessel? (7)

TUMBLER : Cryptic defn: One that flips;rolls – which of course a flat bottomed vessel can’t do.

9    West Country town mine, its gold going west? (5)

FROME : [FOR ME](is given to me;mine) with reversal of(its … going west, in an across clue) “OR”(in heraldry, of the metal gold).

10    River, one in West Country town – yes, yes, yes! (9)

POSITIVES : PO(the Italian river) + [ I(Roman numeral for “one”) contained in(in) ST. IVES(seaside town in Cornwall in the West Country) ].

11    Hitter, jumper and flier (7,3)

CRICKET BAT : CRICKET(a jumping insect) + BAT(a flying mammal).

Defn: …, or what you might hit with.

12    Policeman left inside whales (4)

PLOD : L(abbrev. for “left”) contained in(inside) POD(collective noun for whales).

Defn: … from the Noddy children’s series.

14    See 22 across

18    Harmless drunk missing wife, figure touring the bogs (11)

INOFFENSIVE : “wino”(a drunk) minus(missing) “w”(abbrev. for “wife”) + [ FIVE(a number;a figure) containing(touring) FENS(bogs;marshes) ].

21    Advantage held by landed gentry (4)

EDGE : Hidden in(held by) ” landed gentry ”

22,14 Words from Hamlet confusing family with satyr in the West Country (7,3,4,2,5)

FRAILTY, THY NAME IS WOMAN! : Anagram of(confusing) [ FAMILY plus(with) SATYR IN THE] + W(abbrev. for “west”) + OMAN(a Middle-Eastern country).

Defn: …, speaking of his mother. In the same soliloquy, he contrasts his father to his stepfather uncle as “Hyperion to a satyr”, as suggested in the clue’s surface.

25    Cryptically, what might one do with a Cornish pasty and where? That’s bliss! (9)

BEATITUDE : [EAT IT](what one might do with a Cornish pasty) in (and where?) BUDE(a town in Cornwall, where one might well find a Cornish pasty). That sentence (without the parenthesised portions) could be a cryptic wordplay for the definition.

26    Abandoned ship’s first to enter West Country town (5)

LOOSE : The 1st letter of(…’s first) “ship” contained in(to enter) LOOE(a town in Cornwall in the West Country).

27    Draw away from Land’s End, England trailing rapidly away, Cornwall too, for starters (7)

DETRACT : The last letter of(…’s End) “Land” + the 1st letters, respectively, of(…, for starters) “England trailing rapidly away, Cornwall too “.

28    Greek character taking drug with the ability to say “sausages” backwards? (7)

EPSILON : E(slang abbrev. for the drug, Ecstasy) + reversal of(… backwards) [NO LISP](what you have if you’re able to pronounce “sausages” correctly).

Down

1    Imperfection in desert (6)

DEFECT : Double defn: 2nd: … to the enemy.

2    Aphrodisiac – it’s in the heart, rising (6)

EROTIC : Reversal of(…, rising, in a down clue) [IT contained in(…’s in) CORE(the heart;the centre).

3    Meat cutter that’s fast and keen I suspect, cook finally put away (5,5)

STEAK KNIFE : Anagram of(… suspect, … put away) [ FAST plus(and) + KEEN I + the last letter of(… finally) “cook “].

4    Point about record store (5)

DEPOT : DOT(a point) containing(about) EP(abbrev. for “extended play”, a vinyl record format).

5    Opera coming over in doubly twisted old maestro (9)

TOSCANINI : TOSCA(an opera by Puccini) placed above(coming over, in a down clue) reversal of(… twisted) 2 x(…doubly) IN.

Answer: Arturo, former Italian maestro.

6    Time in West China (4)

MATE : T(abbrev. for “time”) contained in(in) MAE(West, blonde bombshell who said she was very good when she was good, but better when she was bad).

Defn: Cockney rhyming slang for “mate” from “China plate”.

7    Retro lighter in the toilet resembling member (4,4)

LAVA LAMP : LAV(short for “lavatory”;toilet) + [A LA](from French, in the manner of;resembling) MP(abbrev. for a Member of Parliament).

Defn: … or a lamp invented in 1963.

8    Currently in office, office in further test (8)

RESIDENT : DEN(a quiet room which could serve as an office) contained in(in) RESIT(a repeat test if you failed the first time round).

13    In some parts of the plant, little troublemaker initially uses insincere praise (5,5)

SWEET TALKS : STALKS(some supporting parts of plant growth) containing(In …, …) [ WEE(little) + the 1st letter of(… initially) “troublemaker “].

15    Beneath top of mainmast, cast-iron case for the quarterdeck, perhaps? (5,4)

MINOR SUIT : The 1st letter of(top of, in a down clue) “mainmast ” placed above(Beneath …, …, in a down clue) anagram of(cast) IRON + SUIT(a case brought to a court of law).

Answer: In bridge, the diamond or club suit, each of which makes up a quarter of the full deck of cards.

16    Something dynamic, perhaps, in horribly dire wet bottom? (8)

RIVERBED : VERB(in grammar, this can be dynamic as opposed to stative – examples of the former are “to run”, and “to go”) contained in(in) anagram of(horribly) DIRE.

Defn: Neatly put.

17    Moving out of Paignton? (8)

POIGNANT : Anagram of(out of) PAIGNTON.

19    Street, then turn for promenade (6)

STROLL : ST(abbrev. for “street”) plus(then) ROLL(turn, as a wheel on the ground, say).

20    Mythical flier, wacky with vulture and raven wings (6)

WYVERN : The 1st and last letters, respectively, of(… wings) [ “wacky ” plus(with) “vulture ” plus(and) “raven ” ].

Defn: …, often used in coats of arms and badges, and in logos.

23    Byzantine empress turning up in Tenerife (5)

IRENE : Reversal of(turning up, in a down clue) and hidden in(in)  “Tenerife “.

Answer: … of Athens, Byzantine empress 797-802.

24    Not entirely green, a South American capital (4)

LIMA : “lime”(a shade of green) minus its last letter(Not entirely …) + A.

Defn: … of Peru.

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The following pictures have unidentified links to the puzzle.

     

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