Every Friday, 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. 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.
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SOLUTIONS
Last week’s ‘33 Things Wot Are Flat Or Predominantly Flat’ missing vowels foxer:
1. PLNCHT – planchet (Mrs Nutfield)
2. CR NK – ice rink (copperbottom)
3. CWPT – cowpat (copperbottom)
4. TRNCHR – trencher (copperbottom)
5. F CF P G – face of a pug (copperbottom)
6. S LRDY N – salar de uyuni (Colonel_K)
7. BW LNGGRN – bowling green (Nutfield)
8. LMN DLMND – limanda limanda (a_monk)
9. BL LTS HSL – ballet shoe sole (Colonel_K)
10. DF LTDTYR – deflated tyre (Electric Dragon)
11. KTL LBJR NSSNSNS – ketill björnsson’s nose (Nutfield)
12. SP TLBLD – spatula blade (copperbottom)
13. STN LYLMBCHP – stanley lambchop (Mrs Nutfield)
14. THRT HCCR DN GTN XGRS – the earth according to anaxagoras (Colonel_K)
15. S NKRT BLSLT – snooker table slate (a_monk)
16. THML DVS – the maldives (Electric Dragon)
17. HLPAD – helipad (Phlebas)
18. T HT PF M S – the top of a mesa (Phlebas, copperbottom)
19. STRD SVGNNHN DR DNDT HR – stridsvagn one hundred and three (Phlebas)
20. CHPT – chapati (Phlebas)
21. T HBT TMFP N T – the bottom of a punt, or the bottom of a pint (Phlebas)
22. RLYWR GMNGMNT RS – early wargaming miniatures (Phlebas)
23. CL MS – calm sea (Colonel_K)
24. KBKC SBF RSSMB LY – ikea bookcase before assembly (copperbottom)
25. BD WTRBSN – badwater basin (Nutfield)
26. DRM T – door mat (Electric Dragon)
27. STC KFCH WNGG M – stick of chewing gum (Nutfield)
28. HRZN TLLYP PSDNGN – horizontally opposed engine (Colonel_K)
29. STNG L – east anglia (Nutfield) or sea tangle (a_monk)
30. CSTR – coaster (Electric Dragon)
31. SLRPN L – solar panel (Electric Dragon)
32. T NDFSN GR – tone deaf singer (Colonel_K)
33. SH TFLSG N – sheet of lasagne (Nutfield)
D9 – PIZZAZZ (Any other way to use all those Z’s? PIZZA?)
M7 – CHARTRES
C1 – QUESTION (Far too obvious)
E11 – OUTRUN (Computer game?)
G6 – STUART
E9 – RIZZO (The Rat or from Grease) if it’s not pizza.
G10 – NARUTO
H11. DRAGON or DRAGONAUT if that’s a thing
G13. UNIT or UNITY
Using V at F7.: ZVEZDA – Russian for ‘star’
J3. CYGNUS
C8. ROBONAUT?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robonaut
I think the theme is the international space station: ZVEZDA and UNITY are modules, DRAGON capsules are used to ferry astronauts to and from the station, CYGNUS spacecraft deliver supplies and a ROBONAUT was tested up there a few years back.
F6 ZARYA
C1 is maybe just QUEST (an airlock)
M1. iROSA ? – ISS Roll Out Solar Array
ETA: M2. TRANQUILITY is also an ISS module
J4. POISK – yet another module
M3. DEXTRE, the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM), is a two-armed robot, or telemanipulator
L7. PRICHAL, also known as the Uzlovoy Module (lit. ’Node Module’) is a Russian-built component of the International Space Station (ISS). This cylindrical module has six docking ports (forward, aft, port, starboard, zenith, and nadir) to provide additional docking ports for Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, as well as potential future modules.
K7. CREW
J6. ARED, or Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, is an exercise device designed by NASA to allow for more intense workouts in zero gravity.
I reckon your K7. is part of a two word answer with H11. –
CREW DRAGON
H1. PIRS, yet another ISS module
F2. ORBITAL, as in Russian Orbital Segment and US Orbital Segment
Nutfield’s D9. PIZZA is no ordinary pizza but Space Pizza (delivered by Pizza Hut to the ISS as a publicity stunt in 2001)
Leaves H6. TREMOR – name of a toy Apatosaurus taken on Crew Dragon Demo-2
A2. CIMON, for Crew Interactive Mobile companion, is a head-shaped AI robot used in the International Space Station.
C4. APOGEE OF FEAR, a 2012 science fiction comedy short film, the first narrative fiction film made completely in space aboard the International Space Station in October 2008.
That would leave C3. RUBIO, which could be Francisco Carlos “Frank” Rubio, unless I made a mistake.
To sum up:
D9 – PIZZA
G13. UNITY
G7. ZVEZDA
J3. CYGNUS
C8. ROBONAUT
F6. ZARYA
C1. QUEST
M1. iROSA
M2. TRANQUILITY
J4. POISK
M3. DEXTRE
L7. PRICHAL
J6. ARED
H11 – CREW DRAGON
H1. PIRS
F2. ORBITAL
H6. TREMOR
A2. CIMON
C4. APOGEE OF FEAR
C3. RUBIO
So, 20 words.