(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.) Quite smooth progress from start to finish. Thanks to Hypnos. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Skipper taking care of champagne initially being extravagant in style (6)
ROCOCO : ROO(short for “kangaroo”, the skipping or hopping marsupial – remember Skippy on TV?) containing(taking) [ CO(abbrev. for “care of”, as when addressing a recipient via a middleman, say) + the 1st letter of(… initially) “champagne ” ].
4 Burn joint (taking minute for bit of heat) (8)
SMOULDER : “shoulder”(a joint in your body) with “m”(abbrev. for “minute”, in time notation) replacing(taking … for) the 1st letter of(bit of) “heat “.
9 Good man is found in elevated place? It could be vital (9)
STATISTIC : ST(abbrev. for “saint”;a good man) + [ IS contained in(found in) ATTIC(an elevated room;place in a house).
Defn: Cryptic, referring to quantitative data concerning human life or the conditions and aspects affecting it, such as the death rate… and oh, the measurement of a woman’s bust, waist or hips.
11 Top artist and film director (5)
CAPRA : CAP(to top;to surpass) + RA(post-nominal letters for a member of the Royal Academy of the Arts;an artist).
Answer: Frank, American film director, and multiple Oscar wnner.
12 Admission by has-been, say, in deadlock (7)
IMPASSE : [“I’M PASSÉ”](an admission by one who is a has-been;past his/her prime – provided, of course, he/she were willing to admit it in the first place).
13 Two organs, one very lacking previously (7)
EARLIER : EAR(an organ of hearing) + “liver”(another organ) minus(one … lacking) “v”(abbrev. for “very”).
14 One virtually huge slating could be a form of this? (6-7)
TONGUE-LASHING : Anagram of(… could be) [ “One ” minus its last letter(… virtually) + HUGE SLATING].
Defn: I take it that “this” refers to “slating”, since the answer is “a form of slating”.
16 Danish might appear in such work? (13)
CONFECTIONERY : Cryptic defn: Reference to a Danish pastry, a possible product from the work of a confectioner.
20 Student in step with former student recalled part of experiment (7)
PLACEBO : L(the plate displayed by a learner driver) contained in(in) PACE(a step;a stride) plus(with) reversal of(… recalled) OB(abbrev. for “Old Boy”;a former student).
Answer: An inactive substance or sham therapy administered as part of a clinical trial;experiment, as a control against which to compare the effects of the real substance or therapy.
21 Leading US composer lately missing in place for records (7)
ARCHIVE : ARCH(leading;principal) + “Ives”(Charles Edward, US composer) minus its last letter(lately missing).
23 See mud with miles to go in river (5)
LOIRE : LO!(see;as in “lo and behold!”) + “mire”(mud, lots of it in one place) minus(with … to go) “m”(abbrev. for “miles”).
Defn: … in France.
24 Creature stunning a poet holding a book (5,4)
KOALA BEAR : KO(abbrev. for “knock-out”;stunning one into an unconscious state, eg. in the boxing ring) + A + LEAR(Edward, English poet, whose works included Nonsense Verse) containing(holding) [A + B(abbrev. for “book”) ].
25 Approach musical composition (8)
OVERTURE : Double defn: 1st: … to initiate a relationship, negotiation, etc; and 2nd: … played at the beginning of an opera or musical or a play.
26 Last character with energy very much a fanatic (6)
ZEALOT : Z(the last character in the English alphabet) plus(with) E(symbol for energy in physics) + [A LOT](very much).
Down
1 Countryman held in trust I consider (6)
RUSTIC : Hidden in(held in) “trust I consider “.
2 Athlete once close to lap getting muscular pain (5)
CRAMP : CRAM(Steve, retired English middle distance runner) + the last letter of(close to) “lap “. Apt surface.
3 Red fence, say, with no sun from the south (7)
CRIMSON : CRIM(in British slang, short for a criminal, of which a fence;a receiver of stolen goods is an example;say) + reversal of(with … from the south, in a down clue) [NO + S(abbrev. for “sun”) ].
5 Home claimable possibly for powerful woman (8,5)
MICHELLE OBAMA : Anagram of(… possibly) HOME CLAIMABLE.
Defn: … behind the powerful man?
6 Cricketer previously in shimmering sun opens bottle? (7)
UNCORKS : CORK(Dominic “Corky”, former English cricketer) contained in(in) anagram of(shimmering) SUN.
7 Deceit shown by NI party almost inflamed Belfast maybe (9)
DUPLICITY : DUP(abbrev. for the Democratic Unionist Party, of Northern Ireland) + “lit”(inflamed) minus its last letter(almost …) + CITY(an example of which;maybe, is Belfast). Another, maybe, apt surface.
8 Grade a row with no end of stew in traffic this? (4,4)
ROAD RAGE : Anagram of
(… stew) [GRADE A + “row” minus its last letter(with no end) ]. It seems as if “stew” is doubling up: in the defn. to indicate agitation, and as an anagram indicator. And perhaps also to indicate the missing “w” (“end of stew”). Take your pick.
10 Note around start of holiday actor leading key film (3,4,6)
THE HURT LOCKER : TE(syllable used for the note in the sol-fa music scale) containing(around) the 1st letter of(start of) “holiday ” + HURT(John, English actor who portrayed The Elephant Man, or William, American actor who played the lead in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” ) placed above(leading, in a down clue) LOCKER(whimsically, something that locks, such as a key).
Answer: A 2008 award-winning war movie.
14 Entice a Latin set being corruptible (9)
TANTALISE : Anagram of(… being corruptible) A LATIN SET.
15 Bill presented to a couple endlessly relaxing in foreign resort (8)
ACAPULCO : AC(abbrev. for “account”;a bill showing outstanding debts) plus(presented to) A + anagram of(… relaxing) “couple” minus its last letter(endlessly).
Defn: … in Mexico, foreign if you’re not from there.
17 Pieces in English rental property for part of cooker (7)
ELEMENT : MEN(pieces on a chess board) contained in(in) [ E(abbrev. for “English”) + LET(a property available for rental) ].
18 150 occupying Eastern section of church in Vatican City, say (7)
ENCLAVE : CL(Roman numeral for 150) contained in(occupying) [ E(abbrev. for “eastern”) + NAVE(the central section in a church, often flanked by aisles).
Defn: An example of which;say, is the Vatican City, in relation to Italy.
19 Search out posh car in a yard? (6)
FERRET : RR(abbrev. for the posh car, the Rolls Royce) contained in(in) FEET(three of which are in a yard).
22 Perfect heart of quiet Kent town (5)
IDEAL : The central letter of(heart of) “quiet ” + DEAL(a coastal town in Kent, England).
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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.)
Didn’t do this crossword although reading the clues, it looks to have been a good one.
Picture 3 could be 11ac CAPRA
Picture 4 don’t know who they are but they look as if they are plotting some DUPLICITY
Hi almw3, yes, it is CAPRA for “goat”.
Pic4: they’re part of a famous team of 6, with the one on the right since deceased.