Every Friday at 1300 hours, Tally-Ho Corner’s cleverest clogs come together to solve a ‘foxer’ handcrafted by my sadistic chum and colleague, Roman. A complete ‘defoxing’ sometimes takes several days and usually involves the little grey cells of many readers. Don’t be shy. All are welcome to participate.
The honeycomb below is a fancy form of wordsearch in which every cell is used, and words can curl and zigzag but never overlap. Each hive foxer has a theme (some past ones: sheep, mazes, earthquakes, and The 39 Steps). Identifying the theme is a vital part of the defoxing process. Today’s puzzle is composed of 18 answers.
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SOLUTIONS
Last week’s word chain:
1. SECURITATE (Phlebas)
2. TERPSICHOREAN (Phlebas)
3. ANCHORAGE (Phlebas)
4. GERASCOPHOBIA or GERONTOPHOBIA (Phlebas)
5. BIAFRA (ylla)
6. RACK (ylla)
7. ACKWORTH (ylla)
8. THURSO (ylla)
9. SORGHUM (Phlebas)
10. HUMIDOR (Phlebas)
11. DORTMUND (ylla)
12. UNDAUNTED (Phlebas)
13. EDMONTON (Phlebas)
14. TONNANT (AFKAMC)
15. ANTIBES (Phlebas)
16. BESSIE (ylla)
17. SIEVE (ylla)
18. VENGEANCE (AFKAMC)
19. CEPHALAPODA (AFKAMC)
20. DACKE (Phlebas)
21. KESTREL (AFKAMC)
22. RELIGIEUSE (Viscount)
23. SERRATIONS (Colonel_K)
24. ONSLAUGHT (Viscount)
b8 MARIGOLD or MAGIC
B5: DIGITALIS = foxglove: a source of heart medication or poisonous in the wrong dose
F3: GERANIUM
b8 MARIGOLD
m4 JESSE
m7 DOG
This must be the theme:
https://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=95829
E9 – turd, going well with the dog-theme.
G9 STINKFINGER
Starting on row J and occupying the bottom left corner – HAPTIC – relating to the sense of touch.
E5 FRAENKEL (clashing with several of the above)
M7 DOG LEAP, but missing its STAIRS…
J1 HAPLESS
h4 STRAFING
h1 ROSEN or i1 GODEL
c4. GAUNTLET
c3. POWER
Ohhh. GAUNTLET and MARIGOLD suggest gloves? HAPTIC would fit too.
edit: e5 FINGERLESS
i1 GRENOBLE
G10 MITTEN
J6 OVEN
And of course Colonel_K’s digitalis comes from a foxGLOVE.
Maybe MITTENS, unless there’s another -LESS at K7
G13: KID
E11: SURGICAL
Surgical from F9 leaves CESTUS from C9
J7: EPISCOPAL
I’m inclined to think it might just be MITTS rather than MITTENS.
I need that S for surgical!
B3 POWER
M5 SEDGLEY glove pistol (links seem to take me into moderation)
(Something has gone wrong, though, because I’m left with SAP on one side and SO on the other…)
Oh, SAP is OK, but I won’t risk a link!
Oh, it’s SEDGLEY OSS
Seems to leave i11: SPA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weighted-knuckle_glove
M4 JEANNE D’ALBRET, sent poisoned gloves by Catherine de Medici
H5 TRANK, the main part of a glove with the shape of the hand and fingers
B3 PO-TE-HI a kind of Chinese glove puppetry