(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.) Thanks to Armonie for a crossword that didn’t present too much trouble. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Is unable to get a glass for fruit (10)
CANTALOUPE : CAN’T(contraction of “cannot”;is unable to) plus(get) A + LOUPE(a small magnifying glass used by, say, watchmakers).
6 Boy and girl lied (4)
SONG : SON(a boy) plus(and) G(abbrev. for “girl”).
Defn: … , from German.
9 Amber helps reformed profaner (10)
BLASPHEMER : Anagram of(… reformed) AMBER HELPS.
10 Tory leader in charge of function (4)
FETE : The 1st letter of(… leader) “Tory” contained in(in) FEE(a charge for services, usually of the professional kind).
Defn: An elaborate, often outdoor, party.
12 Gold casket marked and scored (12)
ORCHESTRATED : OR(the colour of gold in heraldry) + CHEST(a casket) + RATED(marked;assessed).
Defn: … musically.
15 Coat that’s excellent with one class of animals (9)
CRUSTACEA : CRUST(a coat;a hard crisp outer layer) + ACE(excellent;of top quality) + A(one;singular).
17 Dress up when about to be introduced to writer (5)
PREEN : RE(about;with reference to) contained in(to be introduced to) PEN(a writer;a writing instrument).
18 Almost let slip and do without (5)
FORGO : “forgot”(to let slip out of one’s memory) minus its last letter(Almost …).
19 Weaken a club with debts? That’s wise? (9)
SAGACIOUS : SAG(to weaken;to lose firmness) + A + C(abbrev. for “club”, as in CFC, Chelsea Football Club) + IOUS(written promises or reminders of debts).
20 Put one over on unpopular fellow’s work (12)
OUTMANOEUVRE : OUT(unpopular;antonym of “in;fashionable”) + MAN(a fellow) + OEUVRE(a work of art, literature, music, etc.)
24 Cross over the threshold (4)
DOOR : Reversal of(… over) ROOD(a cross;a crucifix).
25 Ne’er-do-well boycotts Dickensian clerk (5,5)
BLACK SHEEP : BLACKS(boycotts specified goods, jobs, etc. in support of labour union action) + HEEP(Uriah, the clerk in Dickens’ David Copperfield).
26 Impulsive soldier’s quiet (4)
RASH : RA(abbrev. for a soldier in the Royal Artillery) + SH!(an interjection urging silence).
27 Yesterday, troubled about Romeo being quixotic (6-4)
STARRY-EYED : Anagram of(…, troubled) YESTERDAY containing(about) R(the letter represented by “Romeo” in the phonetic alphabet).
Down
1 Trainee meets one in the country (4)
CUBA : CUB(a trainee;a novice, especially in newspaper reporting) plus(meets) A(one;singular).
2 It’s bread whichever way you look at it (4)
NAAN : A palindrome(… whichever way you look at it).
Defn: An Indian leavened bread.
3 Ambitious and venomous reptile – one that’s intelligent (12)
ASPIRATIONAL : ASP(the venomous snake) + I(Roman numeral for “one”) + RATIONAL(intelligent;reasoned).
4 Honour with a hard form of sorcery (5)
OBEAH : OBE(abbrev. for “Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire”, an honour conferred by the British monarch) plus(with) A + H(abbrev. for “hard”).
Defn: … practised in Jamaica, other parts of the West Indies, and the southern U.S.
5 English ship initially getting into accident? Use force! (5-4)
PRESS-GANG : [ E(abbrev. for “English”) + SS(abbrev. for a steamship) + the 1st letter of(initially) “getting” ] contained in(into) PRANG(an accident or crash in an aircraft, car, etc.).
Defn: Originally, to force persons into military service.
7 Alien in public dance is lacking restraint (4-3-3)
OVER THE TOP : ET(abbrev. for “extra-terrestial”;an alien from outer space) contained in(in) [ OVERT(public;out in the open) + HOP(a dance party, especially one with popular music) ].
8 Sergei ends disorder of gluttony (10)
GREEDINESS : Anagram of(… disorder) SERGEI ENDS.
11 Bob produces arty design (4,1,7)
DROP A CURTSEY : Anagram of(… design) PRODUCES ARTY.
Defn: To make a brief curtsy.
13 Special eating place, commonly shabbier, for building worker (10)
SCAFFOLDER : S(abbrev. for “special”) + CAFF(an informal;commonly used term for “café;eating place”) + OLDER(more aged and hence, presumably, more worn;shabbier).
14 Teachers’ recipe – it promises to be wholesome (10)
NUTRITIOUS : NUT(abbrev. for the National Union of Teachers) + R(abbrev. for “recipe”) + IT + IOUS(written promises to pay debts).
16 Accountant put spirit in stock for stew (9)
CASSOULET : CA(abbrev. for “Chartered Accountant) + [ SOUL(one’s spirit) contained in(put … in) SET(stock;established by convention or agreement, as in “set;stock procedures”)
21 Awfully cruel medical condition (5)
ULCER : Anagram of(Awfully) CRUEL.
22 Be sure – run and see (4)
RELY : R(abbrev. for “run”, in cricket scores) plus(and) ELY(the diocese;see centred around Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England).
Defn: … enough to have or place faith or confidence in.
23 Vegetable commonly found in Christmas pudding (4)
SPUD : Hidden in(found in) “Christmas pudding “.
Defn: Informally;commonly, a “potato”, botanically classified as a vegetable.
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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.)
Shanghai = Press gang
pic 1) a hole borer is also called a SPUD?
pic 3) shows a breath analyser used to detect gastro-digestive problems such as stomach ULCERs
pic 5) is a focus on pink, the colour of many CRUSTACEANs
pic 6) shows Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting as STARRY-EYED Romeo and Juliet?
Steven/Freddy,
Pic1 To SPUD is to start drilling an oil well
Pic3 The urea breath test is to detect helicobacter pyroli, which can cause stomach ULCERs (I’ve been through it)
Pic4 Shanghai is a term related to PRESS-GANG.
As for the others,
Pic2 “Light My Fire” was a hit for the group, The DOORs
Pic5 “Lily The Pink” was recorded by the group, The SCAFFOLD
Pic6 Romeo y Julieta is a brand of CUBAn cigars
Pic7 Soma is the fictional pleasure drug in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, and he also wrote The DOORs Of Perception, which, incidentally was the inspiration for the group’s name.