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.
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SOLUTIONS
last week’s geofoxer theme: colloquial terms for men and women (defoxed by Phlebas)
a. lad (Colonel_K)
b. fellow (ylla, Colonel_K)
c. chick (Phlebas)
d. broad (Phlebas)
e. dude (Nutfield, Phlebas)
f. dame (ylla, Phlebas)
g. chap (Colonel_K)
h. bloke (Phlebas)
i. bird (Phlebas)
j. guy (Phlebas)
k. lass (Zwack23, Nutfield)
l. gal (Phlebas, Zwack23)
C1 – Greta Garbo as Queen Christina of Sweden
B5 – The Anzac War Memorial in Port Said
Copy erected in Mount Clarence, with another at the Mounted Memorial in Canberra, if that’s any use.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Clarence,_Western_Australia
C5 – Walter Venus 7 cylinder radial engine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Venus
Venus flytrap? I don’t *think* Anzacs are carnivorous…
A4 – Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham, Penguin edition
https://www.flickr.com/photos/martinisaac/1413269845
I have that very edition right here!
Cover Illustration by Peter Lord, in case that’s relevant.
E1 – Looks like a Douglas A4-B Skyraider. Can´t find the right boy, though.
…box
Aaah. It´s form the Top Gun Series – Jester´s Skyhawk 1:72
D1 – Greenland 50Kr stamp issued for Queen Margarethe’s Golden Jubilee
https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/new-stamps-to-be-issued-in-greenland-and-the-faroe-islands-for-queen-margarethes-golden-jubilee-170967/
C1, D1 part of a Scandinavian monarchs/queens group?
B2 – looks awully similar to a 5.7x28mm cartridge.
The gun is the five-seven, from FN Herstal (though this one is from FN USA in Fredericksburg)
A2. Cover cartoon for PUCK (satirical magazine?), published 22 September 1909
The title is “NO LIMIT” and mocks the pre-WW1 naval arms race
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-German_naval_arms_race
( Caption: “Japan: I see your cruisers and raise you a dreadnought!” )
Is that Kaiser Wilhelm launching German ships? Another abdicatee, if there’s such a word
D5. Captain Vikram Batra captures Point 5140 (aka Gun Hill) during Kargil War of 1999
B3. The album RELAPS3 by Eminem
A5. Otokar COBRA taking part in Bangladesh victory day parade
Cobra lily, another hungry plant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darlingtonia_californica
A3 – USCGC Sundew, an Iris-class seagoing buoy tender. Moored in Duluth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Sundew
Sundews are carnivorous plants, as, I suppose, are triffids…
D2. Rock Island EMC-TA diesel locomotive #601 “THE ROCKET”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMC_TA
ETA: Nicknames of snooker players?
D2. the Rocket (Ronnie O’Sullivan)
E1. Jester from Leicester (Mark Selby)
B2. The Belgian Bullet (Luca Brecel) ?!?
B1. Monogram/Cypher of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Wallis (formerly Simpson) and Edward (formerly King)
Abdicated, like Margrethe…
Aha.
‘Christina abdicated her throne on 6 June 1654 in favor of Charles Gustav.’
Sorry I wasn’t around earlier, just ridiculously busy!
E4. LITTLE RED BOOK / Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung
Girl holding copy of same, photo from 1968.
D4. all that’s above deck might look like poor CGI, but it’s real and brutal orange:
SAILDRONE SURVEYOR
https://robotsguide.com/robots/saildrone
ylla’s carnivorous plants, probably:
A3. SUNDEW – Drosera, flypaper traps
A4. TRIFFID
A5. COBRA lily – Darlingtonia californica, pitfall trap
B5. ALBANY Pitcher plant – Cephalotus follicularis, pitfall trap
C5. VENUS flytap – Dionaea muscipula, snap trap
A1. Heart of PEDRO I / IV on a state visit to Brazil (200 years of independence)
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-receives-embalmed-heart-portuguese-king-mark-independence-2022-08-24/
If I’m skimming the details correctly, he’s a rare double-abdication: abdicated Portugal, moved to Brazil, declared independence, was proclaimed emperor, abdicated again.
Joins:
B1. King Edward (and Mrs Simpson)
C1. Queen Christina
D1. Queen Margarethe
and, most likely,
B2. Kaiser Bill
D3. RED BOOK by Carl Jung (Figure 25)
C3. Chivalry & Sorcery – nickname for 1st Edition is the RED BOOK
E3. Eamonn Andrews on ‘World of Sport’ (a similar photo is on the cover of TV World, 2nd January 1965)
He also presented ‘This Is Your Life’ where he would surprise guests with a Big RED BOOK
Presumed RED BOOK group
C3. Chivalry & Sorcery
D3. Carl Jung
E3. Eamonn Andrews
E4. Mao
E5. (—Unidentified—) Grievances / Monty Python’s Big Red Book ?
Would leave remaining unidentified group:
B3. Relaps3 by Eminem
B4.
C4.
D4. Surveyor
D5. Vikram Batra / Kargil / Gun Hill
Though the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors does have a Red Book also.
Lunar landers
B4 – The JADE RABBIT: https://www.destinypedia.com/The_Jade_Rabbit
C4 – LUNA The Shadow Dust
B3 – The return of SLIM Shady: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Lander_for_Investigating_Moon
D5. VIKRAM, part of India’s Chandrayaan-2 – crashed
D4. seven NASA SURVEYOR missions; five were successful
E5. The Little RED SchoolBOOK by Danish schoolteachers Søren Hansen and Jesper Jensen, 1969 … so you can imagine the contents.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/234936572519