(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.) A challenge, in some places, from Crucible, even after twigging the theme. Thanks to Crucible. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
The answer to 5 down was born this day, 21 April, in 1816. Answers marked with an asterisk are linked to her (there may be more I’ve missed).
Across
1 Fine musical returns, featuring unknown old minx (6)
FIZGIG : F(abbrev. for “fine”) + reversal of(… returns) GIGI(the stage and film musical based on a Collette novella) containing(featuring) Z(symbol for an unknown quantity in mathematics).
Defn: An old term for a flirtatious young woman.
5 Conservative MP gets in again after changing crusade (8)
CAMPAIGN : C(abbrev. for a Conservative party member) + [ MP contained in(gets in) anagram of(… after changing) AGAIN].
9 Small range, one in city state (8)
SLOVENIA : S(abbrev. for “small”) + [ OVEN(a range in your kitchen) + I(Roman numeral for “one”) ] contained in(in) LA(abbrev. for the city of Los Angeles) .
10 Style attained height in churches, primarily (6)
GOTHIC : * GOT(attained) + H(abbrev. for “height”) + the 1st letters, respectively, of(…, primarily) “in churches “.
Defn: … of literary fiction, say.
11 Clerical office Harry Lauder ran on English lines (5,7)
RURAL DEANERY : Anagram of(Harry) LAUDER RAN plus(on) E(abbrev. for “English”) + RY(abbrev. for “railway”;train lines)
13 Nice setter entertains a new girl (4)
JANE : * JE(self-referential pronoun for the setter, in the language of Nice, France) containing(entertains) [A + N(abbrev. for “new”) ].
14 Class sorts out test cases (8)
TUTORIAL : * Anagram of(sorts) OUT contained in(… cases, or encases) TRIAL(a test).
17 Ray follows reserve scorer on rink (3,5)
ICE SKATE : SKATE(the ray fish) placed after(follows) ICE(reserve;standoffishness).
Defn: Thing that marks;scores the skating rink ice.
18 Short division? Sign on staff (4)
CLEF : “cleft”(a division;a rift) minus its last letter of(Short …).
Defn: … in musical notation.
20 In which kinky pair agree on hosting male? (4,8)
OPEN MARRIAGE : Anagram of(kinky) PAIR AGREE ON containing(hosting) M(abbrev. for “male”).
23 Sage, I’m sorry to say, comes back around six (6)
SALVIA : Reversal of(…, comes back) ALAS(an expression of sorrow;”woe is me!”) containing(around) VI(Roman numeral for six).
Defn: …, the plant.
24 Getting warm neckwear and dark clothing? (8)
NIGHTIES : NIGH(close to something being sought;getting warm) + TIES(neckwear).
Defn: …, or clothing normally worn at night or in the dark
25 Old person from Riga features odious 21 (8)
VILLETTE : * LETT(an old term for a person from Riga, Latvia) contained in(in) VILE(odious).
Defn: Novel;answer to 21 down written by 5 down.
26 Dominate high-scoring draw without central pairing (6)
THRALL : “three all”(a high score, perhaps, for a drawn sporting match, say, of football, compared to a goalless draw) minus its central 2 letters(without central pairing).
Down
2 Python stands up during panel discussion (4)
IDLE : Reversal of(stands up) and hidden in(during) “panel discussion “.
Answer: Eric, one of the (Monty) Pythons.
3 Leave Jules’s special teacher at home (9)
GOVERNESS : * GO(to leave) + VERNE(Jules, the writer)‘S + S(abbrev. for “special”).
4 Dope and crack for those in estates? (6)
GENTRY : GEN(dope;information) plus(and) TRY(a crack at;an attempt at, say, solving).
5 Writer‘s sweet Breton confection (9,6)
CHARLOTTE BRONTE : * CHARLOTTE(a sweet;a dessert) + anagram of(… confection) BRETON.
6 Brief affair involving English over old saloon (8)
MAGNETTE : “matter”(an affair;the subject of concern) minus its last letter(Brief …) containing(involving) reversal of(… over, in a down clue) ENG(abbrev. for “English”).
Defn: … car made by MG.
7 Tax cut oddly reduced working in London area (5)
ACTON : * “Tax cut” minus its 1st, 3rd and 5th letters(oddly reduced) + ON(working, said of a electrical appliance, say).
8 Someone staring over edge, touching the end (4,6)
GRIM REAPER : * GAPER(someone staring) containing(over) [ RIM(the edge) + RE(with reference to;touching on) ].
12 A cargo ship transported old boxes (10)
SARCOPHAGI : Anagram of(… transported) A CARGO SHIP.
15 Radical old queen hides bust somewhere in Kent (9)
ROCHESTER : * R(abbrev. for “radical” in chemistry) + O(abbrev. for “old”) + ER(abbrev. for Elizabeth Regina, the Queen) containing(hides) CHEST(the bust).
16 Viewer’s complaint about diplomacy engaging Arab (8)
CATARACT : CA(abbrev. for “circa”;about, in reference to specified years) + TACT(diplomacy) containing(engaging) AR(abbrev. for “Arab”).
19 Did school put rubbish outside that’s foul? (6)
TAUGHT : * TAT(rubbish;nonsence) containing(put … outside) UGH!(expression indicating something is foul).
21 Book half a month online (5)
NOVEL : * The 1st 4 letters of(half) “November”(a month) placed above(on, in a down clue) L(abbrev. for “line”).
22 Call law graduate up about drug (4)
BELL : * Reversal of(… up) LL.B(post-nominals for a law graduate) containing(about) E(abbrev. for “ecstasy”, the drug).
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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.)
Pic 6 – Orson Welles played ROCHESTER in a 1943 film of Jane Eyre
Pic 2, wool balls from Bronte sheep?
pic 2 Cotton/wool balls might be used to make NIGHTIES
pic 5 Silverware might be used by the GENTRY
Sorry cookie I picked up on your wool balls and ran with it. I think we are both on the wrong tack.
Kevin, no need to be sorry, I first thought of silkworm cocoons and NIGHTIES, but then decided I’d give the Bronte sheep a go!
pic 4
Bhumibol Adulyadej is the king of Thailand, Rama IX, his predecessor Chulalongkorn, Rama V, son of Mongkut, Rama IV, was tutored by the GOVERNESS, Anna Leonowen, made famous by the movie The King and I, where Mongkut was played by Yul Brynner and Anna was played by Deborah Kerr and Prince Chulalongkorn was played by Patrick Adiarte.
I should apologise for my verbosity @6. I spent a sabbatical at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, arguably Thailand’s best and most prestigious university.
However, many academics in Thailand say there is no argument.
Kevin, right on on pic6.
Pic2 is definitely not of cotton nor woollen balls.
(There are 2 pairs of pictures, each pair of each leads to its own crossword answer)
Pic 1, Somerset Maugham died of tuberculosis as some people think CHARLOTTE BRONTE did.
Pic 2, just checked, could those be tuberculosis bacteria?
scchua @8 I did not submit an answer for pic 6 which I believe is Orson Welles. Maybe Shirl @1 got that correct.
I submitted answers for pics 2 (not convincing) and 4 and 5. Can I trouble you to confirm which is correct?
Pic 2 looks like Mint Imperials and pic 5 is a machine to create the die used to mint coins. However, the clue connection escapes me. Mint is a herb, as is 23ac, but its genus is Mentha as opposed to Salvia.
Pic 3 is Marlon Brando in Apocalypse now. Long shot – this was based on Conrad’s Heart of Darkness – you wear NIGHTIES in the darK?
scchua @8
You say I was right o pic 6. Did you mean I was right @6 which refers to pic 4?
muffin @13 you may be right. I can’t come up with anything better.
Gaufrid @12, both, I think, belong to the Labiatae…
P.S. I see the Labiatae are now called the Lamiaceae
(Sorry for late response – WiFi problems)
Kevin, yes, meant to say you were right with pic4.
Progressing well…
Gaufrid, that is the right answer, SALVIA (commonly, sage) is a genus in the mint family.
Hints:
Pic6 Orson Welles in Citizen Kane
Pic3 Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now
(but the actors are incidental)
Pic1 One inside that collection (the answer is not NOVEL).
With some difficulty, I’ve found which the 16 works of W Somerset Maugham are included. However I still can’t link any of them with the crossword!
In case anyone else can see a link, they are:
Caesar’s Wife
East of Suez
The Explorer
The Hero
The Land of Promise
The Land of The Blessed Virgin
Liza of Lambeth
The Magician
The Making of a Saint
Moon and Sixpence
Of Human Bondage
Orientations
Plays: Lady Frederick, The Explorer, A Man of Honor
The Trembling of a Leaf
On a Chinese Screen
The Circle
Please note also, that the link-word may consist of only part of a crossword answer, eg. SKATE, or a crossword answer may only be a part of the link-word, eg. NOVELla.
Pic 1- although this is not one of muffin@18’s list, he did write a short story called “A string of beads” about a GOVERNESS
For the remainder:
For two, to quote Fitzgerald “Character is plot, plot is character”
For the last, it’s only the title.
Pic 6 – Xanadu was quite GOTHIC
pic 6 Citizen Kane was given a pair of ICE SKATES when he was a young boy
Pic1 The Moon And Sixpence was a roman-a-CLEF, partly based on real events surrounding Paul Gauguin
Pic6 Similarly, you might call the screenplay, though not a novel, of Citizen Kane a roman-a-CLEF, partly based on William Randolph Hearst, or the film, a film-a-CLEF
Pic3 One of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse is Death, the GRIM REAPER.
Thanks scchua
Thanks scchua, I was going to suggest OPEN MARRIAGE for Somerset Maugham.