(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.) This required 2 sittings to complete, with a couple of clues in the SE quadrant that were more difficult than expected for an IoS. Thanks to Poins. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Finish filling crack with it (6)
TRENDY : END(the finish) contained in(filling) TRY(a crack;an attempt, as in “take a crack at solving this”).
4 Top general introduced to head of free church (6)
FLEECE : [ LEE(Robert E., Confederate general in the US Civil War) placed after(introduced to) the 1st letter of(head of) “free” ] + CE(abbrev. for the Church of England).
Answer: A jacket or top made from, well, fleece, a warm synthetic fibre.
8 Defect with Miles, Dicky and Henry after start of back-stabbing (7)
BLEMISH : [ Anagram of(…, Dicky) MILES plus(and) H(abbrev. for the Henry, in physics, a unit of electrical inductance) ] placed after(after) the 1st letter of(start of) “back-stabbing“.
9 Hint of residue found on each model bird made of clay (7)
EARTHEN : The 1st letter of(Hint of) “residue” placed after(found on) EA(abbrev. for “each”) + T(the early Ford Motors model of car) + HEN(a female bird).
11 Novel set of beliefs (10)
PERSUASION : Double defn: 1st: … by Jane Austen; and 2nd: …, as in “worshippers of a certain persuasion”.
12 Transported in carriage with tenor from start to finish (4)
RAPT : TRAP(a horse-drawn carriage) with “t”(abbrev. for “tenor”) moved its initial position to last(from start to finish).
13 Rent collector’s first to quit (5)
CLEFT : The 1st letter of(…’s first) “collector” plus(to) LEFT(quit;departed).
14 Sheik oddly neglected to call about the Spanish mercenary (8)
HIRELING : “Sheik” minus its 1st and 3rd letter(oddly neglected) plus(to) RING(to call on the phone) containing(about) EL(Spanish for “the”).
16 Poor editing spoiled gripping opening of novel (8)
INDIGENT : Anagram of(… spoiled) EDITING containing(gripping) the 1st letter of(opening of) “novel“.
18 Illegal activity of gangster not about revenge at the outset (5)
CAPER : Capone(Al, Chicago gangster) minus(not) “on”(about, as in “the lecture was on the subject of …”) + the 1st letter of(… at the outset) “revenge“.
20 Nettle rash at first seen on priest from the east (4)
RILE : The 1st letter of(… at first) “rash” plus(seen on) reversal of(… from the east, in an across clue) ELI(biblical priest).
Defn: …, as a verb.
21 Successfully manages to secure bolt in steering device (10)
HANDLEBARS : HANDLES(successfully manages) containing(to secure) BAR(a bolt used in fastening).
23 Protective screen placed in position around most of royal family (7)
TESTUDO : Reversal of(… around) SET(placed in position) + the 1st four letters of(most of) “Tudor”(English royal family from 1485 to 1603).
Defn: … used by the ancient Roman army.
24 Right to be uncertain about accepting ecologist’s earliest fieldwork (7)
REDOUBT : [ R(abbrev. for “right”) + DOUBT(to be uncertain about) ] containing(accepting) the 1st letter of(…’s earliest) “ecologist“.
Defn: … used as a defence.
25 Bit of hogweed found in uninspiring section of river (6)
THAMES : The 1st letter of(Bit of) “hogweed” contained in(found in) TAME(uninspiring;insipid) + S(abbrev. for “section”).
26 Object to revolutionary’s restless desires (6)
ITCHES : IT(pronoun refering to a non-human or inanimate object) + CHE(Guevara, Argentinian revolutionary)‘S .
Down
1 Tradesman not entirely concealing Dutch accent (5)
TILDE : “tiler”(a tradesman;a skilled worker specialising in laying tiles) minus its last letter(not entirely) containing(concealing) D(abbrev. for “Dutch”).
Defn: A diacritical mark used in the Spanish and Portuguese languages.
2 Solidarity’s leader embraced by distressed seamen all at once (2,5)
EN MASSE : The 1st letter of(…’s leader) “Solidarity” contained in(embraced by) anagram of(distressed) SEAMEN.
Defn: … or all together.
3 Pull apart largely depressing books on the French (9)
DISMANTLE : “dismal”(depressing;gloomy) minus its last letter(largely …) + NT(abbrev. for the New Testament, books in the Bible) placed above(on, in a down clue) LE(French for “the”).
5 Have an inclination to ring rector to find out (5)
LEARN : LEAN(to have an inclination, physically or figuratively) containing(to ring) R(abbrev. for “rector”).
6 Ralph managed without parking close to hospital department entrance (7)
ENTHRAL : Anagram of(… managed) “Ralph” minus(without) “p”(abbrev. for “parking”) placed below(close to, in a down clue) ENT(abbrev. for the Ear, Nose and Throat department in a hospital).
Defn: … or to en-trance;enchant.
7 Watch Frank about to turn up something revealing (3-6)
EYE-OPENER : EYE(to watch) + OPEN(frank;honest) + reversal of(… to turn up, in a down clue) RE(with reference to;about).
10 Using darts primarily to capture small brown bear (9)
WITHSTAND : WITH(using, as in “do it with your hands”) + the 1st letter of(… primarily) “darts” containing(to capture) [ S(abbrev. for “small”) + TAN(a brownish colour).
13 Quite happy to eat at home when exercising self-restraint (9)
CONTINENT : CONTENT(quite happy;satisfied) containing(to eat) IN(at home;indoors).
15 Call to mind even parts of Greek prayer (9)
RECOLLECT : The 2nd and 4th letters(even parts of) “Greek ” + COLLECT(a brief formal prayer).
17 A disinclination to move in time to cover it up (7)
INERTIA : IN + ERA(a long period of time) containing(to cover) reversal of(… up, in a down clue) IT.
19 All the rage to possess my book about bagpipe music (7)
PIBROCH : Reversal of(… about) { HIP(all the rage;fashionable;up to date with the latest) containing(to possess) [ COR(my!;exclamation of surprise) + B(abbrev. for “book”) ] }.
21 Heroin discovered by border guard (5)
HEDGE : H(abbrev. for “heroin” in slang) plus(discovered by) EDGE(the border;the rim).
Defn: A barrier or protection against something; or a guard against future financial loss.
22 Originally pinched from superb cryptic puzzle (5)
REBUS : Anagram of(… cryptic) [the 1st letter of(Originally) “pinched” deleted from(from) “superb” ].
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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, salmon can be eaten withe CAPER sauce…
Pic 1, that schoolmaster has a HANDLEBAR moustache…. Jimmy Edwards, the name has just come back, and googling I find he is playing Mr Chips.
P.S. just checked, it was a TV series, “Whack-O”, not Mr Chips.
Cookie, I can’t see the master’s head in Pic 1. In view of the cane, do you think this could be “persuasion”?
Pic 7 is an autopilot, nicknamed George. Possibly, George Bush = “hedge”?
Rullytully @4, much more likely, or perhaps ITCHES…
@5, pilots wore FLEECES…
Pic 5: didn’t Goldfinger smuggle gold by incorporating it into the body of his Rolls, which was DISMANTLEd on the other side of the border?
Cookie @2: I think you are right, that picture is of Jimmy Edwards in “Whack-O!” (although you can’t see his face) and he had a famous handlebar moustache.
pic 3 is a Quaker – is she wearing a (dis)MANTLE?
Shirl @9, are you sure, she seems to be showing rather a lot of “flesh”?
{Cookie, try googling “quaker woman” and then select “images”}
pic 7: here we go…. autopilot, nicknamed George. Lonesome George, last Pinta Island tortoise. Tortoise = TESTUDO
{Shirl @12, that is just what I have been doing. I like your answer @12!}
{Shirl, looking again, I think she has been dressed up for an “Oats” packet, or to play a part.}
Pic 3: after a bit of googling I discover that Sunbolt was a “morning energy drink” created and marketed by Quaker Oats/Gatorade North America in the mid-1990s. A link with EYE-OPENER?
Pic 3, the “Quaker” PERSUASIAN, i.e. set of beliefs.
@16, PERSUASION of course, apologies. The picture reminds me of the actress Gertie Millar dressed up as a Quaker.
Pic1 That’s Jimmy Edwards, he with the HANDLEBAR moustache in Whacko!
Pic6 Smoked salmon with CAPER sauce or just CAPERs.
Pic3 She is a Quaker, and acting is involved
Pic5 Not Goldfinger
Pic7 An autopilot it is.
And 2 of the pics connect to the same answer.
Pic 3: I believe that Ken Stott (who played REBUS) voiced a Quaker Oats ad
Pic 5: the chap with the lethal headgear, Harold Sakata, was an Olympic weightlifter (for the US). Some connection with INERTIA?
Pic 3, in the musical comedy “The Quaker Girl” Prudence’s grey dress and bonnet come to be regarded as the height of fashion in Paris – TRENDY.
Pic5 You’re on the right track with Oddjob
Pic3 More serious than a musical, though there was music involved.
Scchua @22 – you seem to be pointing us to “High Noon” (Quaker heroine) but I can’t see the connection
Cookie, Rullytully, Shirl:
Pic2 David Jason was Del Boy in Only Fools And Horses, and his (sur)namesake searched for the Golden FLEECE
Pic3 The book and film Friendly PERSUASION was about a Quaker family (and coincidentally also starred Gary Cooper)
Pic4 The aforementioned Jason and his crew sailed on the Argo in search of the FLEECE
Pic5 In Goldfinger, the novel, the Oddjob character had a CLEFT palate
Pic7 The insides of an autopilot include inertial guidance systems working on the principle of INERTIA.
Thanks scchua for all the fun – I feel rather guilty since I did not have time to attempt Poins crossword yesterday, I was struggling with the Everyman and still have six clues to solve.
The “golden FLEECE” is interesting, an Iranian friend told us that fleeces are laid down on the bottom of streams and rivers to trap gold particles in the water, apparently the wool is very efficient.
Thanks scchua