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
words beginning with ‘kn’ (defoxed by Colonel_K)
a1. knucklebones (Colonel_K, Nutfield)
a2. knossos (Colonel_K)
a3. knee deep in hexes (Colonel_K)
a4. knot (a_monk)
b1. kniphofia (Colonel_K)
friendly fire (defoxed by Aergistal)
b2. combat identification panel (a_monk)
b3. battle of barking creek (Colonel_K)
c1. dogger bank incident (Colonel_K)
c2. stonewall jackson (Nutfield
d1. italo balbo (Nutfield,
last words in titles of James Ellroy novels (defoxed by Colonel_K)
d2. tabloid (a_monk)
d3. jazz (a_monk)
e1. requiem (a_monk)
e2. dahlia (Colonel_K)
e3. confidential (Colonel_K)
crooked things (defoxed by a_monk)
a5.crooked house (a_monk)
b4. crooked spire (a_monk)
b5. crooked nose (Colonel_K, a_monk)
c3. crooked crown (Colonel_K)
c4. crooked man (a_monk)
illegally demolished pubs (defoxed by a_monk)
c5. corkman irish pub (a_monk, Nutfield)
d4. the crooked house (Colonel_K)
d5. the alchemist (a_monk)
e4. carlton tavern (a_monk, Colonel_K)
e5. punch bowl inn (Colonel_K)
J4. BARBARA (starts down and to the right)
J5. BARRY
So. Either The Good Life or Last of the Summer Wine.
Four ways to start COWARD, which doesn’t feel particularly VJ Day:
L2, K7, L7, M5
The last three can also begin COANDA
Just one K5. RWANDA
G1. GRAPHENE, though it isolates L.O.
No correct answers yet, but you’re very close (two letters away) from one.
K9. OCCAM
Proposed Theme: Razor
Lovely theme, but incorrect I’m afraid.
Other possibilities:
I4. MALABAR
K6. WANDA
F12. EMERALD
C7. MAJOR
G4. SINGER
B9. BOVATES
Proof Roman doesn’t need to add red herrings manually. They appear spontaneously!
Darn, this is frustrating! Back to the drawing board, I guess…
E8 – RADOMES, though it leaves a mess
E1 – REGAL or RENAL
C3 – SLOPES
M3 – ROSCOE
H12 – NIMMO
Has Roman finally got with it?
I found L4. D Award (two letters distant from Coward) which are newly instituted (this year) prizes in K-Pop.
– – – – – – – – – –
Two letters taken away from Barbara could leave BABAR the Elephant
G1. GRAPHING is also possible and two letters away from GRAPHENE, although it still leaves some tricky business with L-O.
C1 – GALLOP
C3 – SLIGO
No correct answers so far. Has Roman finally managed to bowl a dot ball?
G1. GOLEEN
C9. BOSMAN
G3. PARSING
Feels more like a wicket maiden to me 🙂
Although I have found PERSHING at F5…. If that’s another of Roman’s unintended red herrings, then I can only offer all of my chapeaux.
E4 – OPERA
F1 – RALPH
M1 – EL LOCO
H7 – PIG PEN
M2 – SCORN
K6 – WALLOW
J5 – BABE
Some pig-related ones in there but I’m not sure I can find any more.
Seventeen of seventeen answers remain foxy. Roman assures me this puzzle does contain clues.
Possible clues/observations:
That GEO in the top left, although the only related item I could find was B6 ETNA.
There are a lot of OL or LO combinations.
B8 – VASTERsomething
M2. Scone – Stone of; or bun
H2. El Paso
A6. Tea D6. Sea – ought to be followed by Pea
K3. War L2. Coda
J4 – BARBARY and M6 MACCOA are both ducks.
H10 – WALL OF …
A6 – TREATS
G4 – SHINER
A correct answer at last!
(But the theme hasn’t been IDed yet)
Is it BARBARY ?
… which is Barbara but the final letter is moved two steps on the letter wheel.
Barry with BA added would make for a better explanation.
I think it was actually Coward. Assuming the theme is Lion (which could be as per the color scheme and the claw marks), we may have:
J4. BARBARY Lion
M5. COWARDLY Lion
I3. the Lion KING
K7. Lion’s CLAW
L5 – ANDROCLES. The theme seems so obvious from the decor around the edge now.
M7. MAC OS Lion
G10. NEMEAN Lion
D7. JAD-BAL-JA, the Golden Lion
A6. TSAVO, Lions of
H7. PRIDE
ETA: E8. ROAR
C7. MAN-EATER(S)
I presume G1. GRR is a red herring but I just don’t know anymore.
Maybe it’s not Barbary at all but a good, old Lion Bar.
Actually, I thing the correct answer is C7. MAN-EATER should be combine with A6. TSAVO, so A6. TSAVO MAN-EATERS
Here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsavo_Man-Eaters
I3. KING is red herring
K1. LOWENDENKMAL, The Lion Monument or the Lion of Lucerne (German: Löwendenkmal)
I11. MILLWALL FC
Rather than MAC OS, M7. MACCOMO, first Black lion tamer
F3. ASLAN or ARSLAN, lion in Turkic
F3. ASLAN, and G4.SINGAPORE
The lion head is an alternative national symbol of Singapore.
C3. SLATS (1924–1928) – first MGM lion
G2. LEOGRAPH ? – A stylized lion motif or icon mainly found in Sinospheric and Indospheric regions’ architectures.
Last Two:
C2. LIGER, hybrid male lion and female tiger
A1. GOLEO, lion mascott for the 2006 FIFA World Cup