Guardian Cryptic 26626 with Picture Quiz

(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow.  To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.)   As is quite normal for a Friday, a puzzle where the answers require to be gleaned at a steady solving pace. Thanks to Crucible, whom I notice is fond of the containment device, at least in this puzzle. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1    Model to get bigger with fine inspiring recipe (7)

WAXWORK : WAX(to get bigger, like the moon does) + W(abbrev. for “with”) + OK(fine;all right!) containing(inspiring) R(abbrev. for “recipe”).

5    Charles pockets one pound, backing 3 (7)

CHABLIS : CHAS(diminutive of the name, Charles) containing(pockets) reversal of(…, backing) [ I(Roman numeral for “one”) + LB(abbrev. for the pound unit of weight) ].

Defn: Answer to 3 across … wine.

10    Prepare to take off tons, one by one (4)

TAXI : T(abbrev. for “tons” weight) + A(one;singular)+ X(by;multiplied by) I(Roman numeral for “one”).

Defn: …, on the way to the runway.

11    Classic gift firm packed in a clothes supply (10)

CHOCOLATES : CO(abbrev. for “company”;a commercial firm) contained in(packed in) anagram of(… supply) A CLOTHES.

12    Woods‘ warnings approaching first at Troon (6)

FOREST : FORES(warnings to watch out for an approaching ball on the golf course, possibly given by Tiger Woods) plus(approaching) the 1st letter of(first at) “Troon “. A reference to the Tiger Woods and the 1st hole at the Royal Troon golf course, a British Open Championship venue.

13    Exaggerate story about sort of minor setback (8)

OVERDRAW : OVER(about, as in “the fight was over her actions” + reversal of(… setback) WARD(a sort of minor;an underaged person under someone’s guardianship).

14    Turn over English chart with a variable layout (9)

GEOGRAPHY : GO(one’s turn to play, eg. in a card or board game) containing(over) E(abbrev. for “English”) + GRAPH(a chart of the relationship among sets of numbers or quantities) + Y(symbol for a variable in mathematics).

16    It takes two years to reproduce secretary’s actual letters (5)

PANDA : [P AND A](the actual letters for P.A., abbrev. for “personal assistant”;secretary).

Defn: The group of mammals that has an estimated reproductive rate of one young every 2 years.

17    Joe’s impressed by Scot’s spelling (5)

MAGIC : G.I.(like “Joe”, a term for an American soldier) contained in(impressed by) MAC(a prefix common in Scottish surnames).

19    16 damaged polar icecap, apparently lost (6,3)

POLICE CAR : Anagram of(damaged) “polar icecap ” minus(… lost) “a”(abbrev. for “apparently”).

Answer: …, nicknamed the answer to 16 across.

23    Revolutionary broadcasts about long thin country (3,5)

SRI LANKA : Reversal of(Revolutionary) AIRS(broadcasts over the radio or TV) containing(about) LANK(long and thin).

24    Poles bag a shilling? They made a lot more in India (6)

NABOBS : N,S(abbrev. for “north” and “south”, the geographic poles) containing(bag) [ A + BOB(term for the shilling, the British currency unit pre-decimalisation) ].

Defn: Persons who acquired large fortunes in India.

26    Crude mural stretches across current plants (4,6)

ARUM LILIES : [ Anagram of(Crude) MURAL + LIES(stretches on,say, a sofa) ] containing(across) I(symbol for electric current in physics).

27    A male doctor’s rounds (4)

AMMO : A + M(abbrev. for “male”) + M.O.(abbrev. for “medical officer”;a doctor in charge of the health services of an organisation, eg. a civilian or military authority).

Answer: Short for ammunition.

28    Indifferent pilot learnt to control 180^o turn (7)

NEUTRAL : Anagram of(pilot) LEARNT containing(to control) U-(…turn of 180 degrees).

29    Carry over approved agency work (7)

BROKING : BRING(to carry to where you are) containing(over) OK(expression giving approval;the go-ahead).

Defn: What an agency or middleman does commercially.

Down

2    Stylish venue for Bowie’s last gig before Delaware (1,2,4)

A LA MODE : ALAMO(the fort in modern day Texas whose Texian defenders, including Jim Bowie, were killed by the Mexican army) placed above(before, in a down clue) DE(abbrev. for the US state of Delaware).

3    Guardian staff drink wallop with milk (5)

WHITE : WE(self-referential pronoun for this paper’s staff) containing(drink) HIT(a wallop).

Defn: As in “How do you take your coffee?”

4    It’s served on board, ringed by apricot tarts (7)

RICOTTA : Hidden in(ringed by) “apricot tarts “.

Defn: …, a cheeseboard, that is.

6    Hotel rings awfully short cleaner (6)

HOOVER : H(letter represented by “hotel” in the phonetic alphabet) + OO(ring-shaped letters) + “very”(awfully, as in “awfully keen”) minus its last letter(short).

Defn: …, specifically, a vacuum cleaner, after the company famous for manufacturing such.

7    Go maybe and find quarries around Germany (5,4)

BOARD GAME : BOAR,GAME(two terms for quarries in a hunt, a specific quarry and quarry in general, respectively) containing(around) D(the International Vehicle Registration code for Germany).

Defn: An example of which;maybe, is Go the Japanese name for the game that originated in China.

8    Chain large article edged with diamonds (7)

ICELAND : [ L(abbrev. for “large”) + AN(an article in grammar) ] contained in(edged with) [ ICE(slang for the precious stones, diamonds) + D(abbrev. for the diamonds suit in a deck of playing cards ].

Defn: … of supermarkets in the UK.

9    Plain idle and amorous, lifting top of nightie (13)

MONOCHROMATIC : MOOCH(to idle;to loiter around) + ROMANTIC(amorous) with the 1st letter of(top of) “nightie ” moved up(lifting …, in a down clue).

Defn: …, literally, of one colour.

15    Craft circles loch to test diver (9)

GUILLEMOT : GUILE(craft;artfulness) containing(circles) L(abbrev. for “loch”) plus(to) M.O.T.(abbrev. for the Motor Ordinance Test, the inspection test for UK road vehicles).

Defn: … of the avian kind.

18    Aerial displays as Spain quits euro area in a mess (7)

AURORAE : “E”(the International Vehicle Registration code for Spain) deleted from(quits) anagram of(… in a mess) “euro area “.

Defn: … sometimes visible in the night sky in the polar regions.

20    It’s meant to clear the air but fan doesn’t start (7)

IONISER : “lioniser”(a fan who lionises his/her idol) minus its 1st letter(doesn’t start).

Defn: An electric device placed in a room to clear its atmosphere by restoring negative ions.

21    Swirling nebula obscures M3 (7)

ALBUMEN : Anagram of(Swirling) NEBULA containing(obscures) M.

Defn: The answer to 3 across to be found in an egg.

22    A hidden feature in puzzle about golf produces complaint (6)

ANGINA : A + NINA(a hidden word, phrase or theme in a completed crossword grid) containing(about) G(letter represented by “golf” in the phonetic alphabet).

Defn: A disease resulting in suffocating pain.

25    Boycott left sponsor on the boundary (5)

BLACK : L(abbrev. for “left”) contained in(.. on the boundary;surrounding) BACK(to sponsor;to promote).

Defn: Of trade unionists, to organise a boycott of specified goods, jobs, work, etc.

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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.)