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 geofoxer theme: waterbirds (defoxed by captaincabinets)
a. bittern (Colonel_K)
b. coot (a_monk)
c. crane (Colonel_K)
d. goose (Colonel_K)
e. loon (Zwack23, a_monk)
f. flamingo (Hydrogene)
g. widgeon (Colonel_K, captaincabinets)
h. mallard (captaincabinets)
i. heron (captaincabinets, a_monk)
j. duck (Colonel_K)
D2. Tabloid, the compressed tablets made by Burroughs Wellcome and Company
Here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabloid_(newspaper_format)
D3. G1 Autobot Cars: Jazz. Car model is Porsche 935 Turbo.
Here: https://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-g1-autobot-cars-jazz/84/
B4. Chesterfield F.C. crest
Here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesterfield_F.C.
B2. Challenger 2
On the picture, it is equipped with Combat Identification Panel. Picture was taken in Iraq.
Here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_2
E5. National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific aka PUNCHBOWL Cemetary
C1. Friend of the Foxer, Protected Cruiser Aurora
https://www.google.com/maps/place/59%C2%B057'19.0%22N+30%C2%B020'17.0%22E/@59.9549713,30.3382749,3a,90y,280.08h,101.63t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sCIHM0ogKEICAgIC41eWvZA!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2Fgpms-cs-s%2FAB8u6HYiKh1mNN00opXV7N2PBBl-eSVv_K3OYmQEzg-dwdGn5zwZ0RpdIKTxLrmLFB8_fP4YFMuy4dizZ3mX9dWAK4D0eFVBO58r4JIDdfX_oj20tuAdVVx918DH25Otp1savKHvFRkj%3Dw900-h600-k-no-pi-11.625390846094547-ya353.08438109785783-ro0-fo100!7i8704!8i4352!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d59.955278!4d30.338056?hl=en&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDgwNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
A couple of partials:
B1. could be Kniphofia aka Red-Hot Poker, but I haven’t found ones with that background
A2. is a coin from Knossos, Minoan Crete with a labyrinth on it
B1 Source: https://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/kniphofia-uvaria/classid.2000027803/
E2. DAHLIA – looks to be ‘Group 6 – Ball dahlias’ “Mary’s Jomanda”
E3 Seems to be a news story about whether Raul Castro wanted to be a woman instead of a man.
(Back from a 2 week holiday to Blighty)
A1 – Pieter Bruegel’s Children’s Games – bottom left corner – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Games_(Bruegel)
C5 – Al Fink as Corky Buchon (Can’t find that exact pic)
D1 – Anti Columbus Day protests in 2017. I’ve only found the picture on an italian website, so don’t know where it was actually taken and refuse to do reverse image search!
https://www.ilmessaggero.it/primopiano/esteri/america_contro_monumenti_italiani_colombo_balbo-3203035.html
C2 – Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain
The repeating symbol, since the others are too easy, is the “Three Fox Skins” hieroglyph:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_fox_skins_(hieroglyph)