Friday Foxer #104

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”, “Tulip mania”, “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 ‘33 things wot you might find in Morocco’ missing vowels foxer:

1. NTTL S – ANTI-ATLAS (a_monk)
2. T HYR SFL D – THE YEARS OF LEAD (Zwack23)
3. THC V SFHR CLS – THE CAVES OF HERCULES (Zwack23)
4. LLTTRS VLT – ELLIOTT ROOSEVELT (Zwack23)
5. CR KKFR ST – CORK OAK FOREST (Colonel_K)
6. CHKND CH – AICHA KANDICHA (a_monk)
7. DSS TRFN NL – DISASTER OF ANNUAL (ylla)
8. SSR – ESSAOUIRA (a_monk)
9. FS SLTRDR – FOSSIL TRADER (Electric Dragon)
10. PNHR DBR – PANHARD EBR (Colonel_K)
11. FLSM RGRT – FELIS MARGERITA (ylla)

12. GMR – GOUMIER (a_monk)
13. RGCH GG – ERG CHIGAGA (a_monk)
14. MRB NS LD – OMAR BEN SALAAD (Electric Dragon)
15. ZL LJTLS – ZELLIJ TILES (Colonel_K)
16. RNDP LYRS – RONDA PLAYERS (Phlebas)
17. Y VSSN TLR NTSSHS – YVES SAINT LAURENT’S ASHES (Electric Dragon)
18. KTMRS BY – KIT MORESBY (Electric Dragon)
19. TNGRN – TANGERINE (Electric Dragon)
20. FRCSFR STHG HSP DR LWY – AFRICA’S FIRST HIGH SPEED RAILWAY (Electric Dragon)
21. TRCL MBNGGT S – TREE CLIMBING GOATS (Zwack23)
22. THBRT HPL CFT HWR LDTR DRGN ZTN – THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (Zwack23)

23. MRT HNDSS BLS – MARATHON DES SABLES (a_monk)
24. RPB LCFS L – REPUBLIC OF SALE (Electric Dragon)
25. THNR TH RNN DFTHW STR NSH RB RM – THE NORTHERN END OF THE WESTERN SAHARA BERM (Electric Dragon)
26. HC HMLG RRJ – HICHAM EL GUERROUJ (Zwack23)
27. FR CSLR GSTC RPLNT – AFRICA’S LARGEST CAR PLANT
28. NTF NGHLP HBT – NEO-TIFINAGH ALPHABET (Electric Dragon)
29. FNDQ – FUNDUQ (ylla)
30. PHN CNCLNY – PHOENICIAN COLONY (Electric Dragon)
31. SV NTYFVP RC NTFT HWR LDSPH SPHTR SRVS – SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE WORLDS PHOSPHATE RESERVES (Electric Dragon)
32. L SLND – ILSA LUND (Colonel_K)
33. NFTR WBRD GST WNTW NS – ONE OF TROWBRIDGE’S TWIN TOWNS (Zwack23)

56 Comments

  6. Re: D1. The cuff insignia seem to be Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve(1942-1951) rank of Lieutenant Commander.
    I’m guessing the slogan is along the lines of “information. the greatest weapon”.

    Ian Fleming reached a rank above, making full Commander.

    ETA. It’s OPERATION MINCEMEAT, 2021 film
    “Deception. The greatest weapon in war.”

  9. C4. Bram Stoker’s DRACULA “climbing like a lizard” on his castle’s walls

    ETA: D5. might just be Ghillie Suit, but it’s not on that Wikipedia page. Dunno then if its’ the conflict or the weapon.

    • B1 – Go Tell It on the Mountain is a 1953 semi-autobiographical novel by James Baldwin. It tells the story of JOHN GRIMES, an intelligent teenager in 1930s Harlem.

      So B2, A2, A1, B1, C1 is definitely BALDWIN.

  14. E3. is unusual in that it’s the only one with a (green) ring on it, so I presume it’s meant to highlight something.

    It’s the tailfin of an aircraft. The fixed upright part on the left is the ‘vertical stabilizer’; the swiveling part on the right is the ‘rudder’.

    I guess what we’re looking for is the part of the rudder that’s upstream of the pivot axis.

  20. ORIENT EXPRESS:

    C2 – Jean Michel Jarre, Orient Express
    C3 – Heart of China game, swordfight atop the Orient Express.
    C4 – Van Helsing rides the Orient Express in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
    B3 – From Russia with Love, scenes on the Orient Express.

  25. If I’ve got the right cells for the Orient Express group, A4/B4/A5/B5/C5 are blocked off as a cluster in the corner.

    A4 – Once upon a Time in America/Manhattan Bridge
    B4 – Saltburn pier
    A5 – Hockenheimring
    B5 – GoG Galaxy library
    C5 – Hollywood sign maintenance

  26. I thought first lemurs, but it might be HARRIERS:
    D1. MONTAGU’S – Colin Firth plays Ewen Montagu in the film
    D2. REUNION
    D4. MARSH (Western, Eastern and African varieties)
    (A bit weak) E1. RING-TAIL is used informally for juveniles and females when seen in the field and not identifiable to an exact species.

    I was a bit worried about D3. but it’s alright: the genus CIRCUS.

      • Well, the SRS stands for Stealth Recon SCOUT, so I’d go with the scout part as his first career and it’s in the title of his autobiography: ‘Life of Tom Horn: Government Scout and Interpreter’.

        Anyway, I’ve lost interest now as I’ve learned of Solidus Snake and am _really_ disappointed that the connection isn’t ___ Snakes of the Metal Gear universe.

        Someday…

  27. Any ideas about the last cluster?

    I see GRIDS but it feels kind of weak.

    A4 – Manhattan’s grid from the 1811 plan
    A5 – Hockenheimring’s starting grid
    B5 – GoG library’s grid view
    C5 – The Hollywood sign’s steel grid structure

    B4 – Saltburn pier ??? The funicular stations and entrance building’s facades have that Fachwerk-like style.

    • There are factoids about the individual clues that would work as Cluster Foxer topics but I can’t tie to the other four, eg:
      A5. Hockenheimring – received planning approval on Christmas day, 1931
      C5. Hollywood sign – will celebrate a significant milestone (centenary) in 2023

      Taking a step back, the symbols Roman’s added are little Christmas trees. I would expect this semi-clue to be related to one of the groups, but I don’t think what we’ve solved so far qualifies in any way as Christmassy.

      What’s just occurred to me still isn’t Christmassy and that’s Shortened Versions:
      A4. Once Upon a Time in America – critically panned 2 hours and 19 minutes for US release
      A5. Hockenheimring – started as 12 kilometres
      B4. Saltburn Pier – was 1,500 feet (460 m) when opened
      C5. Hollywood sign – originally read ‘Hollywoodland’

      B5. Gog / Galaxy / GoG Galaxy ?? (Roman’s backlog ???)

      BEST SEASONAL WISHES TO EVERYONE.

      • I really thought Operation Mincemeat was going to be part of a Christmas group. But this time last year we were figuring out island prisons, so seasonal cheer is definitely not obligatory!

        GOG formerly Good Old Games?

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