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: owls, rugby, Egypt, UFOs…). Identifying the theme is a vital part of the defoxing process. Today’s puzzle is composed of 18 answers, a few of which are acronyms.
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SOLUTIONS
Last week’s geofoxer theme: dragons (defoxed by Nutfield and Viscount)
A. dragonland, colorado (Colonel_K)
B. golden dragon, edinburgh (ylla, Viscount)
C. wawel dragon (Zwack23, Colonel_K)
D. nine dragon wall, chicago (Electric Dragon)
E. dragon rapide, auckland (Zwack23)
F. joris and the dragon, efteling (Phlebas)
G. komodo dragon (Aergistal)
H. dragon miniature railway, marple (ylla, Electric Dragon)
I. il dragone, atrani (Zwack23, Nutfield, Viscount)
J. home of catalan dragons, perpignan (Electric Dragon)
K. bocas del dragon, trinidad (Colonel_K)
L. dragon fruit eco farm, sepang (Colonel_K)
B2 PURL (I’m knitting while I think)
E7 BRIDE
-RITHM at D8, but it’s neither LOGA- or ALGO-
To give credit where it’s due, Colonel_K snuck in a last minute solve of Bocas Del Dragon.
C9 LAGAN
D3 SEVEN
(but it would seem to force B2 PINSK! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinsk)
K9 FLING
H5 WHEEL
E3. TRADE-IN – Finally! Commercial transactions.
G1. IGNORE
Round the edge(-ish):
A6. HAIL
i1. DUCAT
H11. LION
More SCs than one would expect…
E4. DISCUS
G9. GALLON
E11. GALLOP
A6. HAITI
I’ve not had a chance to look at this yet but wheel, ducat and discus are all round. 😉
No lucky hits yet, but ylla has come close.
C4. LUPINS
“ylla has come close”
C1. KNIT ?
D3. SEVESO – Italian town/commune and scene of 1976 chemical disaster + consequent EU directive
i1. DRUM /-LINE
Drumline would leave K1. CATT – Combined Arms Tactical Trainer?
Only horizontal I see is H5. WAAF (and f4. Cesc)
G11 – LOGAN
H12 – OILY WINGS
B4 – REINS
F7 – CUBED
K6 – FACE
M3 – ETTIN
Still 18 foxy answers, I’m afraid. Roman added a fairly obvious six-letter thematic clue to this hive. Finding it would be very helpful.
A couple of suggestion:
F1: DART or DARTS
H1: LIGNE or LIGNEE
B6: JAM
E8: BRIDES
D9: PITHA
H8: FALAFEL
M2: TEA
Coins?
H8: FLORIN
F5: ESCUDO
I1: DUCAT
I think this may qualify as the toughest Friday Foxer yet. Coins was an intentional red herring on Roman’s part. Still 0/18 answers found.
I had a feeling it was like that. That’s really a tricky one!
So many words that seems to be in there only to realise that a letter is missing or to far to make it.
All I can see that’s nearly something I got is J8 or K8 SLING.
Or J10 PLING, I suppose!
K9. FLYING ?
As far as “fairly obvious six-letter thematic clue[s]”, all I can manage is
D1. NESSIE
though the way Tim has phrased it makes me think it’s not an actual answer.
(Furthermore, it hurts my brain to think what possible acronym-heavy category could also contain Nessie)
ETA: Otherwise, G2. GLIDE and i1. DRONE (which go with Flying, now I think about it)
Well, there’s UFO at F8. But I can’t see a saucer!
H5 – WHEELIES, although the fact that someone had WHEEL makes me think this isn’t right.
M1 – TALCUM
J2 – McLAIN
M5 – BASIL
F4 – CREEL
Struggling with this one.
Hmm, BASIL and FLYING are both foxes…
… but no Arctic or Fleet or Michael J or Mulder, so I don’t think we’re going self-referential for April Fool’s Day 😀
J10 – PILLION
I1 – DUCATI
Can’t find any other motorbike-related item. There’s WHEELIES but it leaves an awkward bunch in the bottom left corner.
Progress! The theme has been found and, between them, Zwack23, Colonel_K, and ylla have provided one correct answer, one almost correct answer, and a couple of partials.
(And there was me thinking we were pranking Tim by pretending to be unable to solve it).
Theme: Motorcycles
“fairly obvious six-letter thematic clue” (which is NOT an answer (?)): DUCATI
“one correct answer”: J10 – PILLION
“one almost correct answer”: H5 – WHEELIE (no s) ?
“a couple of partials”: GLIDE -> F5. ELECTRA GLIDE
and probably FLYING and maybe also DRONE
(The first page of results for motorcycle + flying has a Flying Merkel)
Correction, ELECTRA GLIDE begins at H4.
Then there’s F6. SIDECAR
J3. FLAT-TWIN
i4. BRMC = Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
ETA: I think Wheelie should run via J4 and end at M3.
Some possible partials F10. LAW – can’t make the end of Outlaws, so maybe ‘(something) Law’
Disregard: ( M1. TT = Time Trial – on its’ own or after some placename
alternatively M2. TWIN )
C1 – KNIEVEL
C1: KNIEVEL
I6: ROSSI
K9: FLYING FLEA
F7: CROSS
H10: WALL OF DEATH
D10: APRILIA
Last pocket on the left: G3. ENDURO – long-distance off-road
ETA: Possibly M5. BSA – Birmingham Small Arms Company
It is BSA, then l8. ACE CAFE – notable venue, originally opened in 1938 and closed in 1969
F12: AGO – Giacomo Agostini
A4: HAYABUSA
C6: UJM
A3- EINSPUR
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daimler_Reitwagen
J3 – FLAT TWIN
Not a single motorcycle display team, for shame!
No RSMDT / White Helmets. Does Roman not know the meaning of fun?