Cryptic Modes of Transportation Quiz

Answer: chariot

Slightly burn = char
Fool = idiot
Selfless fool = Idiot - Id (self) = iot
Char + iot = Chariot

Most will remember the chariot race in the 1959 movie 'Ben Hur'. Evidence exists that chariot racing was conducted during the ancient Olympic Games.

Answer: locomotive

Spanish for insane = Loco
Reason = motive
Loco + motive = Locomotive

Steam locomotives include the record-breaking 'Mallard', which achieved a speed of 126 mph in England in 1938.

Answer: Sedan

This is a double definition clue. In North America, especially, a car suitable for a family is usually classified as a 'sedan'. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), the French suffered defeat at the town of Sedan in September 1870. The emperor, Napoleon III and over 80, 000 troops surrendered.

Answer: trailer

Inside indicates a hidden word clue - Hi(T RAIL ER)ic ...

A trailer is usually towed behind another vehicle, and can be a house trailer (sometimes called a caravan in the UK), a boat trailer or a large commercial trailer for transporting goods.

Answer: jumbo jet

Very large, after the 19th century elephant, is Jumbo.
Another word for (or a shade of) black, is 'jet'.

P.T. Barnum's star, Jumbo the elephant, came to a tragic end in St Thomas, Ontario, Canada on 15 September 1885 when he was hit by a train. A statue of Jumbo was erected near the site of the accident.

Jumbo jet is a nickname given to the Boeing 747.

Answer: Airbus

Realign indicates an anagram of 'bursa I', giving us 'airbus'.

Airbus is an aircraft manufacturing company based in France that produces both civilian and military aircraft. Although designations differ from type to type, 'airbus' is used in a more general way, as in 'Oh, I flew on an airbus on my holiday to Spain'.

Answer: passenger liner

A type of eye makeup is (eye) liner. Passenger pigeons are extinct, so eye makeup for and extinct pigeon is 'passenger liner'. 'At sea' is a clue to the type of transportation.

Answer: helicopter

Spin around indicates an anagram, as well as hinting at the spinning motion of the rotor. Single-handed indicates that either an 'L' (for left) or 'R' (for right) must be dropped from the words to be anagrammed. In this case drop one 'L' and anagram the remaining letters - ilchoptree - to arrive at 'helicopter'.

(Thanks to my sister, Blondie Canuck, for suggesting I write a clue for 'helicopter', and for testing most of the clues for 'solvability'.)

Answer: freight train

The words 'hear' and 'sound' indicate a homophone. 'Track' is a clue to the type of transportation.

'Some shabby precipitation' could be 'frayed rain', which sounds (a bit) like 'freight train'. (I was walking my dog when trying to think of modes of transportation for this quiz, when a train whistle blew nearby!)

Answer: submarines

'Deranged' indicates an anagram of 'bus remains'.

The history of submarines (and submersibles) goes back further than one might expect. A submersible propelled by oars was built as early as 1620, and a one-man submarine, the Turtle, saw action during the American Revolution.