SPOILER ALERT!
If you haven't yet solved our first puzzle (linked below)
and you don't want any help just yet in order to do so, please read no further.
If, on the other hand, as some of our readers have confessed, the darn thing has been a pebble in your shoe for long enough, then feel free to proceed.
As you may recall, there were two elements to our opening teaser.
The first being:
What is the common link between the 17 images provided?
And the second:
How exactly does each image fit into the overall theme?
The opening clue to the first question was provided in the heading and the introductory picture to the puzzle itself, which featured the Google My Business symbol and logo.
A quick enquiry of its own search engine will reveal that Google is in fact a wholly owned subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
Does that help?
Hopefully, with a little further time to consider, you have now realised the link between our 17 images is that each represents a different letter, or letters, of the alphabet.
Have another look and see if, armed with that information, you can work out which images account for which letters. (And of course, make sure not to be misled by the random order in which the photos appear!)
But if further help is still needed, see the solution set out in full below:
OK, we admit, this is a tough one. But no-one suggested this stuff would be easy did they?
This is the Royal Australian Navy Badge that is displayed on the uniform of an Able Seaman. The rank of Able Seaman, when abbreviated, is AB - apparently because it was originally a contraction for "able bodied". And that's our first two letters of the alphabet accounted for.
Did we say this wouldn't be easy? A copy of a compact disc (CD) released by quite possibly the music world's best known CD - Celine Dion - takes care of the next two letters.
We are reliably informed this is an ecstasy tablet, colloquially known as an E. Let's press on.
An effigy is a likeness or image - usually of a well-known person or historical figure - that most often comes to notice when a large version is burned, or otherwise damaged or destroyed, in a form of public protest. More importantly for our purposes however, an effigy homophonically represents an F, a G.
This is also a tricky one; although once you've uncovered the puzzle's theme you may well be able to conclude, if only by process of elimination, that this image - being the international symbol for hearing impairment/deafness - is represented in written form by the acronym HI.
How well do you know your middle-aged popstars? The disarmingly handsome chap pictured above is the lead singer and frontman of the English band, Jamiroquai; a group that has been pumping out danceworthy funk hits like Cosmic Girl and Little L for nearly 30 years now. Although his given names are Jason Luis Cheetham, he's better known to his fans as Jay Kay, and so accounts for letters 10 and 11 (JK).
Another toughie. This is a shot of New York City's Elevated Railway, which commenced to operate more than 130 years ago, if you can believe it. The elevated railway system was affectionately known throughout its years of operation as the El - or, as we prefer to call it, the L.
On this map of the USA the red shaded area represents the state of Minnesota , also known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Minnesota's capital is Saint Paul, and its official abbreviation are the letters MN.
Arguably the most famous statuette/trophy on the planet, an award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is more commonly referred to by its nickname, Oscar - the derivation of which name has been, and remains the subject of long-running dispute. What cannot be disputed is that Oscar, at least insofar as the NATO phonetic alphabet used for radiotelephonic purposes is concerned, represents the letter O.
If this one stumped you then it's possible you've been overthinking things? That small green object sitting on the large white plate is a garden variety pea. ie P.
16 down, only 10 to go.
If you're a lover of the James Bond franchise, or even if you aren't, you may well recognise this as the face of British actor Ben Whishaw, playing the role he has made his own over the past decade; namely, Q. (Only the wonderful Desmond Llewelyn has played Q more often than Whishaw - appearing an amazing 17 times over 36 years, opposite five different Bonds).
The standard unit of currency in Pakistan since the dissolution of the British Raj in 1947 has been the rupee. The plural abbreviated symbol for Pakistani rupees is generally accepted to be RS.
This puzzle has already tested your knowledge of geography and popular culture, amongst other things. Now it's time for botany. Recognise this? It's a (black) tea-tree, which is native to Australia, and more particularly its warmer northern climes. If you think we've cheated a little here I can only ask - what type of tree is this? A T I hear you say? Well done.
This is a photo of an ultra violet light source. Ultra violet = UV. Happy enough with this one? Rightio, let's move on then. (And gloss over the fact that ultra violet light generally can't be perceived by the human eye - in other words, there's literally nothing to see here!)
What does it mean when they wave the chequered flag at you at the end of a motor race? That's right - you're a winner. Thumbs up, nice job! And what's the generally accepted abbreviation for a win throughout the world of sports? W it is.
If some or all of these song names look familiar then you just might be one of the more than nine million people who have bought Ed Sheeran's second studio album since it was released more than eight years ago now, back in June 2014. (Having been involved in a serious pushbike accident in late May 2014 that necessitated plastic surgery to my face, and dental work on a number of significant teeth, the title to track 2 was particularly appropriate for me at the time). Ah yes, I nearly forgot - the album was called X.
I think we knew these last couple of letters were always going to be a problem, yeah?
So let's crack on and rip off the bandaid. This, friends, is a Yamaha Zinger quad bike. I'm sure you'll agree that's quite a mouthful. Which is no doubt why we in the trade simplify things by calling this little beauty a YZ for short. You're welcome.
So there you have it folks. Puzzle 1 done and dusted.
Hats off to anyone who managed to nut out all, or even most of these solutions correctly. And for those who didn't, we here at The Library hope you nevertheless had plenty of fun trying.
And don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for Puzzle No. 2 - Coming Soon!
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