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.
Below is a list of ‘33 Things, Words, or Phrases Wot You Might Find In Twelve-Year-Old Tim’s Lavishly Illustrated Humanities* Exercise Book’. Entries have been stripped of vowels and, where possible, have had any inter-word spaces repositioned**. For example, if oxbow lake was present it might appear as XB WLK. Mosque would be MSQ.
* For those who didn’t attend a UK comprehensive school in the 1980s, ‘humanities’ was a combination subject that covered things like geography, history, environmental studies, and religious education.
** Apostrophes are ignored and hyphens are treated as spaces.
In an attempt to ensure as many people as possible get a chance to participate, Roman requests individual defoxers offer no more than six answers on Day 1. (After 24 hours have elapsed, fill your boots!). If your initial six answers are correct and consecutive, give yourself a pat on the back.
1. NTCL
2. SL RSTLL
3. MRH K
4. FRC TNNGTWR
5. DR WN GFTHM SSLN GB RG
6. RSHHS HNH
7. TT TDCNT RLRC KTMTRS
8. MS SVCRLTC RP
9. SPLLN GMSTKS
10. RV WFT HF RTHR M
11. XPL RN GTS P RDRL GNWSCM MNP LCNT HVCT RNR
12. TNCHTTLN
13. GRN NK
14. BRDMRG LCR
15. KSM BPWRSC HM
16. DRW NGFB TH NGMC HN
17. LK GNT HF RWR DHLD
18. F VPL LRSFB LF
19. R NRC LNDLM ST N
20. NT R LG SSS FRTH NT WNGS
21. BR M NGH MST HD DNT
22. MHM MDB C MSDR V RNC MLT RN
23. KNGH
24. YMKP PR
25. SSMCSR VY
26. RDT NLK
27. THFM SDC KTR PN
28. D RW NGFP NGN
29. GR GHRBR TLGHML LRY
30. MNSTH RSTF RKNWL DG
31. NS T RYST HM T HFR V R
32. VR YST PM DMW NCW THP N
33. THSL VSW RK PTWR K NGBYG RDW HWHP PDTH MW HNTH YSL CKN D
* * *
SOLUTIONS
Last week’s geofoxer theme: currencies of the world (defoxed by copperbottom)
a. euro (Aergistal)
b. sol (copperbottom)
c. yen (Aergistal)
d. rand
e. pula (Zwack23)
f. quetzal (Colonel_K)
g. lev (Colonel_K)
h. shilling (Froggster)
i. dollar (Colonel_K)
j. pound (a_monk, Colonel_K)
k. kip (Colonel_K)
l. franc (copperbottom)
Kind of heartening to see greengrocer’s apostrophes stubbornly stand the test of time.
Relevantly: 9. SPELLING MISTAKES
and less relevantly: 27. THE FAMOUS DICK TURPIN
30. MAN’S THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE, seemingly yet to be slaked
16. DRAWING OF A BATHING MACHINE
29. GEORGE HERBERT LEIGH-MALLORY
20. NATURAL GAS IS SAFER THAN TOWN GAS
31. AN ESTUARY IS THE MOUTH OF A RIVER
32. EVERY STEP MADE ME WINCE WITH PAIN – fiction?
33. THE SLAVES WERE KEPT WORKING BY A GUARD* WHO WHIPPED THEM WHEN THEY SLACKENED
* Or maybe a GEORDIE, who can know the depths of young Tim’s anti-northern prejudice
12 – TENOCHTITLAN
Also, Colonel K got location I last week. I found a very similar ride at Dollywood, but Colonel K spotted my mistake and got the right place.
14 – BEARDMORE GLACIER
24 – YOM KIPPUR
25 – SEISMIC SURVEY
28 – DRAWING OF A PENGUIN
Let’s see if we studied the same stuff…
18. FIVE PILLARS OF BELIEF – Yep.
11. EXPLORING ‘somewhere’ WAS COMMON PLACE IN THE VICTORIAN ERA.
10. REVIEW OF THE ‘FOURTH ROOM’?
5. DRAWING OF THE ‘MASS LONGBRIDGE’?
5. DRAWING OF THAMES SAILING BARGE – was convinced for a long time it must involve a Missile
Re: 11.
I reckon “common-place” counts as one word, so we’re missing two in the gap.
Second word could be Religion (or else Lagoon)
TS P RDRL GN
TEA-SPIRED ?? (portmanteau of Tea and Inspired)
Maybe I’m miscounting ‘cos it’s across two lines on a mobile, and it should be 3 words.
EXPLORING ‘somewhere’ WAS COMMON PLACE IN THE VICTORIAN ERA.
‘somewhere’ = TO SPREAD RELIGION
21. BIRMINGHAM IS THE ODD ONE OUT – Something to do with conurbations and new towns? (That’d be more geography I guess)
4. FRACTIONING TOWER? (I can find a FRACTIONATING TOWER but no extra T, maybe 12 year old Tim couldn’t spell? :p )
Sorry, that’s a typo. Roman has been fractionated.
17. (Something, not LURKING or LOOKING) IN THE FORWARD HOLD
LEAKAGE ?
Seems fair to me, unless this is an unrelated comment, in which case I hope it gets better!
Back for more fun from Tim’s past…Or not…
26. RADIATION LEAK
2. SOLAR STILL – Seems like something you’d study in Humanities.
6. ROSH HASHANAH
22. MOHAMMED BECOMES A DRIVER ON A CAMEL TRAIN?
8. MASSIVE something CARP?
8. MaSSiVe CoRaL ouTCRoP ?
13. GReeN iNK – It’s right I can see the THE in green ink in the 2nd linked picture!
I don’t think Tim’s the type for green ink, unless it’s to throw off the Bramley End Parochial Committee.
13. GURU NANAK most likely
For 7. I fancied Titted Central Rocket Motors – in the absence of a comparator assume Big.
But, I reckon it’s still-probably-a-bit-advanced-for-a-12-year-old
ATTITUDE-CONTROL ROCKET MOTORS