A Thermobaric Cryptic Trivia Quiz

Answer: Combustion

The definition is "the process of burning" which is combustion (Webster's College Dictionary). To begin with indicates taking the first letter from the words that follow; (C)olin (O)nly (M)eets (B)elinda (U)nder (S)ycamore (T)ree (I)n (O)maha, (N)ebraska.

"Combustion" is the name of ninth album released by Yone Dudas and Marco Biagiotti. The duo makes up the Canadian group Decoded Feedback, which is associated with music styles of Aggrotech and Electro-industrial.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member zonko.

Answer: Char

Definition sought was "singe". You get the answer by making "charm" endless i.e. take away its last letter.

For a different sort of fire, heavy artillery fire, see the French. "Char d'assaut" is the French term for tank though they tend to use a shorter designation of the term when naming their models, for example "Char B1" is a heavy artillery model that was built before World War II.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member pollucci19.

Answer: Scald

This is a double definition clue where two definitions of the same word are put forward and there is no word play. To criticize is to scald and a hot steam injury is also a scald.

To scald milk does not mean that it is burnt or boiled, it is heated to a point just below boiling.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising members zonko and pollucci19.

Answer: Heater

The definition sought is electric fire.
The clue indicates that it sounds like "warms his wife". Warms = "heat", his wife = "her". Sounds like "heat her".

A heater can be a fastball in baseball, a handgun, or a winning streak in gambling particularly poker. In baseball the term comes from the supposed heat generated by the speed of the pitch. As a handgun it was usually related to the criminal element carrying a gun or packing heat. In poker, a prolonged winning streak of any length is called a heater or a rush.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising members pollucci19 and tazman6619.

Answer: Torched

The definition sought was "burnt". The word play is a hidden word clue which is indicated by "looked inside". The word(s) to look into were alligaTOR CHEDdar.

The torch is usually associated with a portable light source but torch is also a slang term for an act of arson.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising members zonko and pollucci19.

Answer: Candle

This is a pure cryptic clue or, in this case, a very bad pun i.e a candle is a wicked thing because it has a wick in it.

A chandler is a maker or seller of candles. In medieval times it was the person in charge of lighting the candles in a household or monastery. It may be related to the word chandelier according to etymology.com .

This question was created by Phoenix Rising members pollucci19 and tazman6619.

Answer: Forge

The definition sought is a "furnace". The word play indicates that the "forejudge" is gutted. That means the centre of the word is removed, leaving the two ends "for" and "ge" to form the answer.

Forge is a place, like a smithy or hearth, where you heat a metal object at temperatures high enough to shape it by hammering or beating it into a desired shape.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising members pollucci19 and jaknginger.

Answer: Fires

The definition sought is "conflagrations" which are fires. The words "looking back" indicate a reversal clue and the word to reverse was "serif".

The word fires can either be a noun or a verb. As a noun it is of course the plural of fire. As a verb it is more versatile. It can mean to shoot a gun as in he fires the gun. Along the same lines it can mean to set anything off that needs to be ignited as in he fires the rocket. It can also mean to heat in a kiln as in he fires the pottery.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising members zonko, pollucci19, and tazman6619.

Answer: Melt

The definition we sought was "thaw". You arrive at the answer by taking out every second letter (evenly) from the word umbellet.

Did you know that an umbel is a flower cluster? Specifically, it is a cluster of flowers with the same size stalks on one stem. Do a quick search for Queen Anne's lace to see a good example.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising members pollucci19 and jaknginger.

Answer: Kiln

The definition sought was "potter's oven". Use of the words "broken link" indicates an anagram of link.

Kiln may be a small town in Mississippi, however it is also known as the hometown of the Super Bowl winning quarterback, Brett Favre. While Brett may have been born in Gulfport, Mississippi it was in Kiln where he was raised and attended school. Brett played for Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI in which the final score was New England Patriots 21, Green Bay Packers 35.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising member zonko.