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 ‘cluster foxer’ is regarded by some as the most demanding form. Solving one involves identifying 25 pictures and five hidden themes. The enlargeable mosaic below consists of five interlocked picture clusters (some possible cluster arrangements are shown above) each with its own theme. Themes have nothing in common with each other. Don’t be surprised to find, for example, “Crocodiles”, “The Spanish Armada”, “Words beginning with “ter””, “1948” and “Fictional policemen” sharing a puzzle. A picture’s connection to a particular theme won’t always be literal. An image of the Brandenburg Gate is just as likely to be part of a “Bach” cluster as a “Berlin” one.
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SOLUTIONS
Last week’s hive foxer theme: Cake (defoxed by Electric Dragon)
battenberg (Colonel_K)
betty crocker (Colonel_K)
bundt (Electric Dragon)
frosting (Electric Dragon)
lady baltimore (Colonel_K)
lamington (Electric Dragon)
lemon drizzle (Electric Dragon)
let them eat (gusdownnup)
madeira (Colonel_K)
mary berry (Electric Dragon)
opera (Colonel_K)
portal (Electric Dragon)
simnel (Electric Dragon)
swiss roll (gusdownnup)
tin (Colonel_K)
ube (gusdownnup)
C2 is the Grunwick Strike mural https://archive.discoversociety.org/2017/12/06/reclaiming-histories-and-spaces-with-the-grunwick-strike-mural/
D5 is the flag of Mozambique
A3 – 10 möngö note
A1 – LEGO Professor Filius Flitwick
https://www.brickowl.com/catalog/lego-professor-filius-flitwick-set-71022-13
C4 – Naboo (Michael Fielding) from The Mighty Boosh
A2 – an Ewok – Wicket W. Warrick ?
To go with Filius Flitwick and repeated initials? Or is that too simple? 😀
B5. MONTSERRAT, West Indies – phonebox buried in volcanic ash
I believe it’s PLYMOUTH, which is still nominally the capital.
E1 – is this from the TV show “Get Smart” ?
E5. GOG & MAGOG consuming humans — Thomas de Kent’s Roman de toute chevaleri
AM a bit late, but not too much done…
Does Wicket go with Naboo as they are both Star Wars?
Aren’t Flitwick and Wicket played by Warwick Davis?
I half-fancied Naboo and Mongo as fictional planets, but it’s all a bit early still.
Ok then if we go for Warwick (Where is willow!)…
A3 – MONGO
C4 – NABOO
Fictional sci fi planets 🙂
I assume B2 could have been taken at the Willow Run production line? 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_Run
E3 – the shape of the capsule vaguely reminds me of “First Men in the Moon” by H.G. Wells
A5 – Talinn E-Bus (Didn’t think the ID on the bottom left would actually work)
Except that the picture used to illustrate it is of a bus in Vilnius – it’s the bell tower of Vilnius cathedral in the background.
The bus itself is a SOLARIS Urbino, fitting the fictional planet group
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaris_Urbino_12
C1 PICKWICK cinema
just WICKs then
Flitwick, Pickwick, Wicket?
And C2. Grunwick, presumably. Just need to figure out B1…
D3. The boardgame CARAVAN
B3. Mudhol Hound, also known variously as the Maratha Hound, the Pashmi Hound, the Kathewar Dog and the CARAVAN Hound
Two caravans on row 3. Coincidence?
C3. Monty’s CARAVAN (Revell 1:76 model 03227 of Leyland Retriever & Scout Car)
B2. Curtiss-Wright C-76 CARAVAN
I guess the Mongolian currency at A3 links in – camel caravans? But also the Ewok at A2 – “Caravan of Courage”?
E3 – PROJECT VELA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Vela
(Constellations?)
Showing Vela 5B, the one involved in the Vela Incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_incident
B4 is The Krypton Factor computer game – maybe on the commodore 64.
Fits into the fictional planet group
A4. VULCAN
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.491468,-86.7959949,3a,75y,45.16h,102.76t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sr8bNP0jMHXSSsX_5eSo8uw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3Dr8bNP0jMHXSSsX_5eSo8uw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D251.76324%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
The largest cast iron statue in the world, and is the city symbol of Birmingham, Alabama. I have the disturbing feeling that he’s wearing an apron but nothing else on his lower half.
I think B5 might be ORDE WINGATE on operations in Burma.
And the _wick_ that occured to me for B1 is Thomas HEATHERWICK, but I’ve no inkling what the art installation might be.
There’s an outside chance D4 might be some CARAVANSERAI, but I’m not fancying it too much.
Definitely Wingate, here’s the actual photo:
https://www.londonremembers.com/subjects/major-general-orde-wingate
His parents were members of the Plymouth Brethren – ties in with C5?
Adding to the confusion, D1 is Major General John SEDGWICK getting shot by a sniper at Spotsylvania Court House having uttered the words “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.”
In case C2 is not Grunwick, it’s located on Chapter Road, Dollis Hill
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.55146,-0.2393937,3a,48.8y,190h,88.64t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sS03EHka5d8jO7A4C9dIPYA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Lacking anything of substance to add, I submit a summary of discoveries and leads so far.
a1 – lego professor Filius Flitwick (AFKAMC)
b1 –
c1 – Pickwick cinema (Nutfield)
d1 – Major General John SEDGWICK (Colonel_K)
c2 – grunwick strike mural (ylla)
a2 – an Ewok – Wicket W. Warrick (AFKAMC)
a3 – 10 möngö note (Electric Dragon)
b3 – Mudhol Hound, also known variously as the Maratha Hound, the Pashmi Hound, the Kathewar Dog and the CARAVAN Hound (Colonel_K)
b2 – Curtiss-Wright C-76 CARAVAN (Colonel_K)
c3 – Monty’s CARAVAN (Revell 1:76 model 03227 of Leyland Retriever & Scout Car) (Colonel_K)
d3 – The boardgame CARAVAN (Colonel_K)
a4 – Statue of Vulcan in Birmingham, Alabama(Colonel_K)
a5 – Tallinn E-Bus (Nutfield), Vilnius (ylla), Solaris Urbino (Electric Dragon)
b4 – The Krypton Factor computer game (little_crow)
c4 – Naboo (Michael Fielding) from The Mighty Boosh (Electric Dragon)
d4 –
b5 – Orde Wingate in Burma (Colonel_K), parents were Plymouth Brethren (Electric Dragon)
c5 – MONTSERRAT, West Indies, Capital Plymouth (Colonel_K)
d5 – flag of mozambique (ylla)
e5 – GOG & MAGOG consuming humans — Thomas de Kent’s Roman de toute chevaleri (Colonel_K)
e4 –
e1 – is this from the TV show “Get Smart” ? (AFKAMC)
e2 –
e3 – Project Vela (Electric Dragon)
d2 –
Clearing up the Plymouth cluster:
D5 – The Mozambique flag features a HOE
E5 – Gogmagog https://oneplymouth.co.uk/the-plymouth-hoe-giants-are-coming-home/
D4 – PLYMOUTH ROCK https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9582314,-70.6622921,3a,75y,146.64h,96.52t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sih9Pb1EQvGkMT9MIFh7FFg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
I suspect A3 belongs to the planets rather than the caravans
Four of the five cluster themes have now been defoxed:
– words ending in ‘wick’
– caravans
– fictional planets
– Plymouth
Cluster configurations still need to be clarified, however.
E1 is a 1967 TV show called “Captain Nice” https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061239/
Attempt at tidying up!
Cluster 1 – Fictional planets
A3 MONGO
A4 VULCAN
A5 SOLARIS
B4 KRYPTON
C4 NABOO
Cluster 2 – Plymouth
B5 Orde Wingate (PLYMOUTH Brethren)
C5 PLYMOUTH Montserrat
D4 PLYMOUTH Rock
D5 HOE in Mozambique flag
E5 Gog and Magog
Cluster 3 – Caravans
A2 CARAVAN of Courage
B2
B3 CARAVAN Hound
C3 Monty’s CARAVAN
D3 CARAVAN game
Cluster 4 – wicks
A1 Filius FLITWICK
B1
C1 PICKWICK cinema
C2 GRUNWICK strike
D1 Death of General SEDGWICK
Cluster 5 – ?
D2
E1 Captain Nice
E2
E3 Project Vela
E4
I concur with your grouping.
E5. Gogmagog the giant fights with Brutus the Trojan’s colonising army, and get thrown into the sea by Corineus. This is presumed to have been at Plymouth. Gog and Magog is a Wetherspoons pub in Plymouth with varied reviews.
A2. Caravan of Critters that have eaten roast stormtrooper. It’s canon.
B2. Curtiss-Wright C-76 CARAVAN
D1 is the Death of General SEDGWICK
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/illustration-depicts-the-death-of-union-army-general-john-news-photo/623794828
(I thought it was the Crimea at first – very Victorian – then suddenly went ‘Civil War’, searched for a battle, and found a general…)
…and now I realise we knew this, and I just hadn’t copied it into my spreadsheet. Never mind…
(And now the radio programme I’m listening to is playing Barbara Dickson’s ‘Caravan Song’!)
E4. Flag of Ekaterinburg / YEKATERINBURG or (as then was) Sverdlovsk
The Vela Incident happened on 22 September 1979. Searching for “Sverdlovsk Incident” finds
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sverdlovsk_anthrax_leak
on, wait for it, 2 April 1979.
“nice 1979” gets to … 1979 Nice tsunami
So maybe the connection is ‘Bad Juju in 1979’ and I have to find out what else MK Ultra was up to in that year or else my tinfoil hat is leaky and there’s nothing to see here, just as the Reptilians say.
(Moderately annoyed that E2 is not Three Mile Island).
I’m only bloody right! WAKE UP SHEEPLE!
E2. The WHIDDY ISLAND DISASTER, also known as the Betelgeuse incident, occurred on 8 January 1979
https://www.google.com/maps/place/51%C2%B041'14.0%22N+9%C2%B031'52.0%22W/@51.6834999,-9.5204027,2642m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d51.687222!4d-9.531111?hl=en
Now with missing parts and new disasters.
Cluster 1 – Fictional planets
A3 MONGO
A4 VULCAN
A5 SOLARIS
B4 KRYPTON
C4 NABOO
Cluster 2 – Plymouth
B5 Orde Wingate (PLYMOUTH Brethren)
C5 PLYMOUTH Montserrat
D4 PLYMOUTH Rock
D5 HOE in Mozambique flag
E5 Gog and Magog
Cluster 3 – Caravans
A2 CARAVAN of Courage
B2 Curtiss-Wright C-76 CARAVAN
B3 CARAVAN Hound
C3 Monty’s CARAVAN
D3 CARAVAN game
Cluster 4 – wicks
A1 Filius FLITWICK
B1
C1 PICKWICK cinema
C2 GRUNWICK strike
D1 Death of General SEDGWICK
Cluster 5 – 1979 incidents
D2
E1 NICE tsunami
E2 BETELGUESE incident/Whiddy Island Disaster
E3 VELA incident
E4 SVERDLOVSK incident
D2 is from the poster for a film called Machchhu (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11203722/), about the 1979 Machchhu dam disaster.
And no, it wasn’t caused by a Lovecraftian old god.