This week’s handmade co-op puzzle won’t defox itself. If you’re a dab hand at quizzes, lateral thinking, and search engine sleuthing, why not help out.
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.
In an attempt to ensure as many people as possible get a chance to participate, Roman requests defoxers solve no more than five squares per person on Day 1, and guess no more than one cluster theme. (After 24 hours have elapsed, fill your boots!). Use your ration to complete an entire horizontal or vertical line before anyone else to win ‘Connect 5’ bragging rights.
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SOLUTIONS
last week’s hivefoxer theme: tunnels (defoxed by Colonel_K)
blesmol (a_monk)
chunnel (Colonel_K)
cu chi (Colonel_K)
cut and cover (a_monk)
erdstall (a_monk)
feeler hole (a_monk)
gotthard base (a_monk)
greathead shield (a_monk)
harry (Colonel_K)
intrados (a_monk)
ole singstad (a_monk, Colonel_K)
qanat (a_monk)
rove (a_monk)
ryfast (a_monk)
tbm (a_monk) or mbt (Colonel_K)
winterberg (Colonel_K)
E1 is a portrait of ‘captain swing’, which I think is from the swing riots against the introduction of threshing machines.
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:An_original_portrait_of_Captain_Swing_(BM_1948,0214.941).jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Swing
C4, D4, E4 – TIBET
A4. Ernst Schäfer Expedition to Tibet in 1938-9
B4. SHERLOCK HOLMES Y EL MISTERIO DEL TIBET by Sergio Colomino and Jordi Palomé
C4 – Terror in Tibet
D4 – Tibetan Mastiff
E4 – Tintin in Tibet
E5. SERVAL
A2 – FAWLTY TOWERS/JOHN CLEESE Corgi Mini
A2 – CORGI belongs in this cluster
Looked through a load of Nerf guns, searching for blue ones, but this one is primarily a RED gun, and is part of the Rivals set, so has 2 colours… Hrmph
A5 – PERSES MXIX-5000
https://nerf.fandom.com/wiki/Perses_MXIX-5000
A3. MONNOW BRIDGE (Pont Trefynwy), Monmouth, Wales
D3 – Appears to be a Ford Escort Mk1 from a rally video game.
It isn’t.
D3 – It is a SATSUMA from video game MY SUMMER CAR, which you have to repair and then you can actually modify it to compete at the local rally.
A nice game, by the way.
Based on the real Datsun 100A Cherry. Lots of line clusters this time.
B2 – DOVETAIL
E3. BOXER (AFV) – Bridge-laying variant
C2 – BURDEN OF COMMAND art, will see if it’s a particular character
(Doesn’t seem to be)
It is.
C1 – Think it is a CHEVY 3100 Pick up
1952, 5 Window model – you’re guess is as good as mine as to what’s relevant
https://www.vanguardmotorsales.com/inventory/3499/1952-chevrolet-3100-5-window-pickup
E2 – Portrait of young Queen Victoria by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.
The image on D1 is a copy of this painting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reception_of_Lord_Byron_at_Missolonghi
It’s a two drachma stamp from 1924:
https://www.lastdodo.com/en/items/364307-lord-byron-at-missolonghi
A1 – Statues at Faro – Gago Coutinho International Airport, which is named after this guy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gago_Coutinho
More info on the statues:
https://www.portugalresident.com/new-exhibition-celebrates-20-years-of-faro-airport-roundabout-plane-watchers/
I’ve been a bit vague on a couple of mine (So i’m not sure they are solved yet), but Mrs Nutfield has found:
B3 – RUGBY school
Since I depassed my daily quota I’ll post the other two clusters I found using a Kriegsmarine Engima-M4.
You get the wheels settings tomorrow: https://people.physik.hu-berlin.de/~palloks/js/enigma/enigma-m4_v16_en.html
FOXR FOXR
TLDT EUPW YFLR COEK UCZC ESNH SGGI VXUI KFZS JAQL ZOWA JSEP EWVJ WRNL IEHZ
FOXR FOXR
FOXR FOXR
TCRX BZOX BBWR AOXC KVBU ZEPP GXLK TCNF WVNX PMDV JKSL VTGE DPEM TPSB NQJH DYNT KPEY VSXP VDOK EKYO
FOXR FOXR
Another one I think, missing just one connection:
FOXR FOXR
OLDT BUPW YUEJ YOEK KCZC LYFD YYUY KUIG FWJP NTCZ STZT RGBH TEKD GPQL OABJ GFOJ KSMW TMEP KWDR RHTW EEOA DKVK
FOXR FOXR
Here are the intercepted messages. The settings to validate the authenticity using the linked Engima M4 simulator above are:
Message key: FOXR FOXR (not part of the encrypted message)
Wheels: B.Beta VII III I (F,O,X,R) / Ring setting 02 03 05 08 / Plugboard not used
A ONE B ONE C ONE A TWO B TWO SHUFFLING FARO HINDU (52) PICKUP CORGI DOVETAIL XXX
A THREE B THREE C THREE D THREE E THREE REBELLIONS MONMOUTH RUGBY SCHOOL EUREKA SATSUMA BOXER XXX
D ONE E ONE C TWO D TWO E TWO WILLIAM LAMB VISCOUNT MELBOURNE BYRON SWING RIOTS CAPTAIN LAMB QUEEN VICTORIA X
And the missing link for the last one is Into the West’s set location PORTARLINGTON.
Rebellions:
A3. Monmouth
D3. Satsuma
E3. Boxer
various degrees of revolt at B3. Rugby School over the years; 1797 is categorised as a Rebellion.
Leaves C3. (as yet unidentified)
Remaining unidentified cluster:
– PERSES / RIVAL
– HOLI / SRI SRI RADHA KRISHNA / ISKCON / UTAH
– PARZIVAL / HOLY GRAIL
– BOB MARLEY / SURVIVAL / ZIPRA (masked flag) / BUSH WAR / RHODESIA
– SERVAL (OPERATION?)
Weak connection maybe but words ending in VAL:
RIVAL
FESTIVAL
PARZIVAL
SURVIVAL
SERVAL
Or simply AL to fit GULAL too.