(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.) This was made easier for me by the number of anagrams present. Thanks to Provis. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Observed habitual reaction by journalist following denial (7)
NOTICED : [ TIC(a habitual reaction by a muscle) plus(by) ED(abbrev. for “editor”;a journalist) ] placed after(following) NO(an expression of denial).
5 Makes sure company starts to save unexpected profit (5,2)
FIRMS UP : FIRM(a commercial company) + the 1st letters, respectively, of(starts to) “save unexpected profit “.
9 Tree found in Nepal (5)
PLANE : Anagram of(found in) NEPAL.
10 Cruel ban I ordered can’t be put right (9)
INCURABLE : Anagram of(… ordered) CRUEL BAN I.
11 Lead in Italian international musical makes a comeback (10)
INITIATIVE : IN + IT(abbrev. for “Italian”) + I(abbrev. for “international”) + reversal of(… makes a comeback) EVITA(the Webber-Rice stage musical).
12 Celebrate a lot we hear (4)
FETE : Homophone of(… we hear) “fate”(one’s lot;destiny).
14 County politician didn’t tell the truth about whip becoming involved. (11)
COMPLICATED : CO(abbrev. for “county”) + MP(abbrev. for Member of Parliament;a politician) + LIED(didn’t tell the truth) containing(about) CAT(short for cat-o’-nine-tails;a whip with nine knotted cords).
18 Half the population taken in by mad inventor’s surroundings (11)
ENVIRONMENT : MEN(half, or thereabouts, of the population) contained in(taken in by) anagram of(mad) INVENTOR.
21 Earth turned over in neat ridges (4)
DIRT : Hidden in(in) reversal of(… turned over) “neat ridges “.
22 Absurd for setter to get drawn into ludicrous muddle (10)
RIDICULOUS : I(self-referential pronoun for the setter of this puzzle) contained in(to get drawn into) anagram of(… muddle) LUDICROUS.
25 Object to transformation including east end of Marseille (9)
CHALLENGE : CHANGE(a transformation) containing(including) the last 3 letters of(east end of) “Marseille “.
26 I led revolt against right layabout (5)
IDLER : Anagram of(… revolt) I LED plus(against) R(abbrev. for “right”).
27 Recorded theories regularly in conclusion (7)
ENTERED : The 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th letters of (… regularly) “theories” contained in(in) END(the conclusion).
28 Without purpose, goes after boy shyly (7)
TIMIDLY : IDLY(without purpose;aimlessly) placed after(goes after) TIM(a boy’s name).
Down
1 It protects clothing from spilled ink after pan is upset (6)
NAPKIN : Anagram of(spilled) INK placed after(after) anagram of(… is upset) PAN.
2 Dreadful soldier caught by short hunt (6)
TRAGIC : GI(abbrev. for an American soldier) contained in(caught by) “track” or “trace”(to hunt down) minus its last letter(short …).
3 Eccentric person supports recognition for payment method (6,4)
CREDIT CARD : CARD(an eccentric person) placed below(supports, in a down clue) CREDIT(recognition, as in “to give credit to his wife for his achievements”).
4 Current doctor provided treatment, finally (5)
DRIFT : DR(abbrev. for “doctor”) + IF(provided;on condition) + the last letter of(…, finally) “treatment “.
5 Franc’s opening excellent price is apparently what it’s worth (4,5)
FACE VALUE : The 1st letter of(…’s opening) “Franc” + ACE(excellent;top-notch) + VALUE(the price, used loosely, of something).
6 Unusual to expose rook rather than bishop (4)
RARE : “bare”(to expose) with “r”(abbrev. for “rook” in chess notation) replacing(rather than) “b”(abbrev. for “bishop” in chess notation).
7 We, for example, are also citizens (8)
SUBJECTS : Double defn: 1st: The word “we” is an example of these in grammar.
8 Falsely claims corrupt rep finishes behind time (8)
PRETENDS : Anagram of(corrupt) REP + [ ENDS(finishes;conclusions) placed below(behind, in a down clue) T(abbrev. for “time”) ].
13 Cruise to Mexico’s borders could be a way to help preserve nature (10)
ECOTOURISM : Anagram of(… could be) [CRUISE TO + the 1st and last letters of(…’s borders) “Mexico “].
15 Reported break in to back of house during repair (9)
MENTIONED : [ Anagram of(break) IN TO + the last letter of(back of) “house ” ] contained in(during) MEND(to repair).
16 Problem for leader to meet a revolutionary (8)
HEADACHE : HEAD(a leader of any sort of group) plus(to meet) A + CHE(Guevara, Argentinian revolutionary).
17 Gloomy about company (8)
OVERCAST : OVER(about, as in “the fight was over money”) + CAST(a theatrical company;group of players).
19 Worked towards getting back specialist food store (6)
TOILED : TO(towards, as in “he walked to town”) + reversal of(getting back) DELI(short for “delicatessen”, a store selling unusual or foreign prepared foods).
20 A street light is not in the right place (6)
ASTRAY : A + ST(abbrev. for “street”) + RAY(a beam of light).
23 Part of airliner threatens to be unresponsive (5)
INERT : Hidden in(Part of) “airliner threatens “.
24 Noise of eating unendingly is an insult (4)
SLUR : “slurp”(a loud sucking noise made whilst eating, or drinking) minus its last letter(unendingly).
=============================================================================================
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 3 – some connection with DRIFT (deliberate skidding of a car)?
Pic 2 – Ken Clarke usually needs an AShTray
#1 is the Witches of Eastwick – who lead the Jack Nicholson character ASTRAY – or vice versa.
lead s/b led
Hi Shirl and JollySwagman,
You’re on the right track with
Ken Clarke…it’s his get-up
Witches…perhaps not so modern as those of Eastwick.
I recognised Ken Clark – but not the other guy – if it’s Lord Judge, he said that leading barristers didn’t apply to become judges because of the out-of-date image the have on account of their RIDICULOUS get-up.
pic 6 is a V for victory brooch (with the 3 dots and 1 dash of the morse code for V) made at the end of WW2. I can’t see a connection with any words in the puzzle, so hope this helps someone!
Victory brooches/pins were made during the war and worn to will on a victory and show support for your own side – but I’m struggling to conenct it with anything – unless something to do with FACE VALUE – for the morse code and what it represents.
#1 TOILED for Macbeth’s witches maybe?
pic 4 (this is a bit of a long shot!) many of these countries require a visa to enter. Visa is a type of CREDIT CARD
V = di di di dah!
What of Macbeth’s witches?
Toil and trouble.
#5 is an academic mortar board – that’s easy enough – but the colours of the tassle show which SUBJECTS you studied.
pic 6 – Opening of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony (thanks scchua) – the Fate motif (homophone of FETE)
#3 is the gearshift of a manual car. It appears to be in neutral – so if the engine’s running it’s only idling, making it an IDLER.
Is #4 done in embroidery or quilting using an OVERCAST stitch?
Pic 5 – if you go off course, the angle of DRIFT is measured in degrees
Am I allowed to have several stabs in one post?
Pic 5 could connect to:
It’s quite a CHALLENGE to get a degree
One could get a big bill on one’s CREDIT CARD paying HECS fees (in Australia) for a degree
One has to study a lot of SUBJECTS to get a degree
By the time one graduates one has TOILED quite a bit
Shirl @ 18
If you go off course, who’s got time to get out the protractor and measure the angle?
Pic 4 shows the continents in different colours (and shades). Intercontinental travel usually involves a PLANE.
[The spell checker is showing a wriggly red line under colours and it disappears if I spell it colors (sic). Why are we allowing the country who threw the tea overboard to control spelling in the ENGLISH language? Before we know it, we’ll all be forced to use the word billion to mean one thousand million.]
Right, Jolly Swagman and Shirl,
Shakespeare’s witches chant: Double double, TOIL and trouble
Beethoven’s 5th symphony nicknamed Fate – Fate hammering at your door – di di di dah!
You could call an engine in neutral an IDLER, but there’s a connection whether the engine is running or not.
Where would you get a degree?
Kevin, you’ve said it: continents.
Continental DRIFT
Kevin, right!
Pic 3 shows the ESC (electronic stability control)off. This would be appropriate if the road is NOT ICED. (pardon me for thinking snow and ice, just returned from a skiing holiday.)
Pic 2, the judge’s wig is PLICATED, I don’t think his jabot is.
Pic 5, you would get a temperature “degree” in a weather forecast, along OVERCAST if it was a cloudy day…
or a “degree” in global warming, ENVIRONMENT…
Pic 3. An IDLER wheel or gear is part of a car’s transmission system.
Rullytully, right!
Which leaves just two more.
Pic 5 – University CHALLENGE
Shirl, right again!
pic 2 – I read that the Lord Chancellor wears a coat of damask. You can have NAPKINs made of damask
Hint for pic2: why is he in that outfit? And I think Shirl just answered that question.
In G&S operetta “Iolanthe” the Lord Chancellor sings of “lying awake, with a dismal HEADACHE”
Pic 2, apparently the English judges use/used their costumes to hide/mask their identity – but I cannot tie this in with the answers – FACE VALUE?
That was the Lord Chancellor in his lordly outfit. And if you’re as drunk as a lord, you’d be speaking with a SLUR, or shlur.
Thanks scchua
thanks for the fun scchua
Thanks scchua for all the fun.