(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.) This was a nicely Quiptic-level puzzle. Thanks to Hectence. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Cut-price outlet ignores rent (8,5)
DISCOUNT STORE : DISCOUNTS(ignores;disregards as being, say, irrelevant or untrustworthy) + TORE(rent;having made a split;a tear).
10 A French aircraft bearing north to Germany’s not scheduled (9)
UNPLANNED : UN(French for “a”) + PLANE(an aircraft) containing(bearing) N(abbrev. for “north”) plus(to) D(International Vehicle Registration code for Germany).
11 Oxford college principal’s male, reportedly (5)
KEBLE : Homophone of(…, reportedly) “key”(principal;of great importance) + “Burl”(a masculine first name).
12 Soldiers having bad time when retreating (5)
TROOP : Reversal of(… when retreating) [POOR(bad;not up to scratch) + T(abbrev. for “tie”)].
13 Endlessly regret island people’s downfall (9)
RUINATION : “rue”(to regret)minus its last letter(Endlessly …) + I(abbrev. for “island”) + NATION(a people under a single government).
14 The first student caught with weed? (7)
THISTLE : THE containing(… caught) [ IST(1st, with a Roman numeral substitution) + L(plate displayed by a student driver) ].
16 Holby City, for one, is disappointing after media hype (4-3)
SPIN-OFF : OFF(disappointing;below a satisfactory or expected level) placed after(after) SPIN(media hype;news or information presented in a way that creates a favourable information).
Answer: An example of which;for one, is “Holby City”, the series after “Casualty”, a medical drama TV series.
18 Study book added line on forehead! (7)
EYEBROW : EYE(to study;to look at or watch closely) + B(abbrev. for “book”) plus(added) ROW(a line of items).
20 Soldiers, with ten redeployed, about turn and go in again (2-5)
RE-ENTER : RE(abbrev. for “Royal Engineers”, the engineering branch of the British military) plus(with) anagram of(… redeployed) + reversal of(… turn) RE(about;with reference to).
21 Husband with fourth cigar burning is so afflicted by bad breath (9)
HALITOSIS : H(abbrev. for “husband”) plus(with) the 4th letter of(fourth …) “cigar ” + LIT(burning;aflame) + anagram of(… afflicted) IS SO.
23 20%, if cutting foot, go to hospital (5)
FIFTH : IF contained in(cutting) FT(abbrev. for “foot”) plus(go to) H(abbrev. for “hospital”).
Defn: … as a fraction.
24 When retiring, doctor has a dance (5)
SAMBA : Reversal of(… retiring) AS(when;at the same time as, as in “close the door as you go”) + MB(abbrev. for a Bachelor of Medicine) plus(has) A.
25 Generally found at sea? (2,3,4)
IN THE MAIN : Double defn: 2nd: …, poetically.
26 Bet rider error injured hunting dog (6,7)
BORDER TERRIER : Anagram of(… injured) BET RIDER ERROR.
Down
2 Terribly impoverished, he’d leave and perform without a script (9)
IMPROVISE : Anagram of(Terribly) “impoverished ” minus(… leave) “he’d “.
3 Vice president supports large number on strike (5)
CLAMP : P(abbrev. for “president”) placed below(supports, in a down clue) [ C(Roman numeral for 100, a large number) placed above(on, in a down clue) LAM(to strike;to beat) ].
4 Worry peacekeeping organisation never works (7)
UNNERVE : UN(abbrev. for the United Nations Organistaion;peacekeepers) + anagram of(… works) NEVER.
5 Boy gets killed by bears (7)
TEDDIES : TED(a boy’s name) + DIES(gets killed).
Defn: …, of the stuffed toy kind.
6 Go for a walk and get lost? (4,1,4)
TAKE A HIKE! : Cryptic defn: The literal meaning of the imperative to “Get lost!”
7 Short chat with religious leader (5)
RABBI : “rabbit”(to chat, or even, chatter;to talk inconsequentially) minus its last letter(Short …).
8 Copper gets shot in the pursuit, having skipped the preliminaries (3,2,3,5)
CUT TO THE CHASE : CU(chemical symbol for the element, copper) plus(gets) TOT(a shot;a small amount of liquor) contained in(in) [THE CHASE(pursuit) ].
9 Old transport gets girl a long way with meagre gallon (5-8)
PENNY-FARTHING : PENNY(a girl’s name) + FAR(a long way away) plus(with) THIN(meagre;lean) + G(abbrev. for “gallon”).
15 Rising actor at RADA oddly used to tell fortunes (5,4)
TAROT CARD : Reversal of(Rising, in a down clue) ACTOR AT + the 1st and 3rd letters of(… oddly) “RADA “.
17 Having no partner for the evening’s uncool (3-2-4)
OUT-OF-DATE : OUT OF(having none) DATE(a partner for a social event).
19 Lighter from Western Isles approaching jetty (7)
WISPIER : WIS(abbrev. for the Western Isles Scotland, the Outer Hebrides), alternatively, W(abbrev. for “Western”) + IS(plural I, abbrev. for “isle”) plus(approaching) PIER(a jetty into the sea).
Defn: More insubstantial, say, of smoke or clouds.
20 Run out to watch gripping motor race with a prize for the winner (7)
ROSETTE : RO(abbrev. for “run out”, in cricket scores) + SEE(to watch) containing(gripping) TT(abbrev. for the Tourist Trophy motorcycle cases held annually in the Isle of Man).
22 Branch office opening in state of uncertainty (5)
LIMBO : LIMB(a main branch of a tree, something you might find yourself out on, figuratively) + the 1st letter of(… opening) “office “.
23 Fellow, putting energies into car, becomes more relaxed (5)
FREER : F(abbrev. for “felloe”) + [ EE(twice the abbrev. in physics for “energy”;energies) contained in(putting … into) RR(abbrev. for the luxury car, the Rolls Royce) ].
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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.)
I think that the cricketer might be Rangana Herath. However if it is, I can’t link him to SPIN OFF as left arm orthodox would be leg spin to a right handed batsman.
I think the cat is a jaguar (possibly a leopard). They have ROSETTES of black markings.
Pic 4 nutmeg is an essential ingredient of haggis, THISTLE for Scotland?
#1 is krishna and all his various wives – at least the ones he’s owning up to – his other hobby was chariot driving – as such appears on some tarot cards.
#2 is obviously a cricketer and we have OFF-SPIN – it looks like Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka.
I’ve found this, linking Teddy Roosevelt (of “teddy bear” fame) to Jack Daniels:
……….the idea for the Inaugural Bottle came about in 1907. It was in this year that President Theodore Roosevelt visited Nashville, Tennessee, and gave a speech at the Ryman Auditorium where Jack Daniel sat in the audience. In his speech, President Roosevelt spoke of current events and of his commitment to protect the hard-working American, while prosecuting the dishonest and manipulative.
(Jack Daniels planned a special bottle to be sent to Roosevelt on his re-election. In fact, Roosevelt didn’t run for President again.)
Are they nutmegs? They look more like winkles to me!
Muralitharan bowled right-handed – might the picture have been accidentally reversed?
#6 is whiskey – which can be used in the cocktail Old-Fashioned – hence OUT-OF-DATE
Jollyswagman @4 try PENNYFARTHING, there are pennyfarthing chariot skates
#7 Time Warner Cable are the FIFTH largest landline phone providers in the US.
The sauaages look like Frankfurters – any help?
JollySwagman: Yes, OFF SPIN is right, without going into detail. muffin: To go into detail: that is Rangana Herath, a left arm orthodox bowler who uses the same bowling action as a right-arm bowler who produces an OFF-SPIN (that’s about as much detailed as I can get about cricket).
Pic2: That’s a snow leopard with ROSETTE markings.
Pic4: it a different nut from nutmeg, but also from the tropics,
Pic1: it’s to do with his “hobby” as pictured.
#8 is a branch of Agent Provocateur who (judging by their website) appear to specialise in the provision of undies for the WISPIER woman.
@muffin #10 – I thought they were what we call here Kabana – elsewhere Cabanossi. They contain pork so the RABBI wouldn’t approve.
Pic6: Naught to do with Roosevelt, and not directly with Jack.
Pic3: They are frankfurters.
betel nuts beatle EYEBROWS
TEDDIES are undergarments for women – occasionally provocative in style – as sold by Agent Provocateur pic #8.
Sorry, that should be beetle (spell check is on French and don’t know how to change it)
Pic #3 Frankurt-am-main – IN THE MAIN
betel nuts are chewed, HALITOSIS
Before the AOL/Time Warner split they were located in the Rockefeller Center on FIFTH Avenue.
Sorry – gotta go – thanks for the fun scchua.
JollySwagman, right with TEDDIES and IN THE MAIN, and almost there with pic7.
Cookie, HALITOSIS is right, but what’s the link?
pic 1 flute, Mozart was fascinated by TAROT CARDs, The Magic Flute.
should have enlarged, the opera is related to Freemasonry and there is a Masonic pack of TAROT CARDs
areca nut and betel leaf are a remedy for bad breath
perhaps I should have added when chewed
Right, Cookie with HALITOSIS.
That leaves Pic1,6,7.
Wonder if either Pic 7 or 8 is on FIFTH Avenue?
8, gone, pic 7, FIFTH Avenue too simple an answer.
the CHASE Manhattan Bank in London and the AOL Time Warner building had the same architect Mustafa Kemal Abadan
Then there is the Bourbon CHASE, a 200 mile race across Kentucky… but where is CUT TO, CUT TO THE CHASE, get to the whisky distilleries quickly?
Cookie, I’m afraid that’s too complicated.
The Whiskey Puppets Serving Sentence in LIMBO ?
or there’s “The Lady of LIMBO Town” by the Whiskey Wailers…never say die
and the Whiskey Priest’s LIMBO status in The Power and the Glory
strange thing is Jack Daniels Whiskey is produced in a dry county, sort of LIMBO
pic 7) AOL and Time Warner are both in LIMBO after their epic merger fail
pic 1) Lord Krishna married his wives to save them from RUINATION ??
pic 6) The Jack Daniels shown is in a bottle size called a FIFTH
This is really stretching – now that FIFTH has gone.
Time Warner CUT loose from AOL in order to match their competitor 21st Century Fox, whose CEO is CHASE Carey.
Hi all.
Freddy got FIFTH right.
Pic1: SAMBA was one of Krishna’s sons by one of his wives.
Pic7: AOL was a corporate SPIN-OFF from Time Warner (actually a de-merger in this case, as they had merged previously).