Mephisto 2681 – Paul McKenna

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
The most challenging Mephisto for a while for me. I suspect there may be a couple of words here that are new to the 2011 edition of Chambers. I have access to both the new and old edition so I’ll check through as I’m blogging. Good thing I did that or I don’t think I would have noticed that they are symmetrically placed around the outside.

I’m stuck on the wordplay for 14 and 32, but maybe something will come along.

Away we go…

Across
1 DEFRIEND: R,I in DEF(brilliant) END. A new word in the 12th edition
11 EPERGNE: E,P,(GREEN)*
12 CH,UR(hesitation),R(ecording)
13 VOL,ANT: Didn’t know VOL as two wings conjoined and thought this was a three-part chrade for a while
14 TURN TO: at least I think so – T.O. is tax officer, and TURN to means set into action, which fits with busy. I can see ACT = TURN but can’t really find ACTOR = TURN. Am I missing something?
15 EDITOR: D(date) in E and ROTI reversed
18 TRABECULA: (ad)UL(t’s) in (CABARET). Don’t see CLUB as an anagrindicator often
19 OMEN: NEMO reversed
21 APEMAN: A(acting),P(power) then NAME reversed
22 CRUMMY: triple definition
26 ZINC: hidden
28 ARMOURIES: M,OUR in ARIES
31 DRUDGE: D, then G in RUDE
32 OGRESS: from definition (harridan) but I can’t see the wordplay at all, I wondered if it was a reworking of DIGRESSION but that doesn’t seem to work.
33 (p)ROSILY
34 RHINO: double definition (didn’t know STUMPY as slang for CASH)
35 LINAGES: NAG(hack) in LIES – charges to place an ad in a newspaper
36 WEBISODE: anagram of (I,BROWSE,RED) without R. Another new word from the 12th editino (WEBINAR is in the 11th)
 
Down
2 EPODE: POD in E.E.
3 FELINE: F, then L in EINE. Anyone else tempted to put GALORE in here?
4 IGNORAMUS: (AMUSING,OR)*
5 ENTRAP : PARTNE(r) reversed
6 NETS: STEN(old word for bound) reversed – a place to practice cricket without having to chase balls unless you play drives
7 THRACE: TRACE(write) about H
8 BUNKUM: UN, K(second in SKIAMACHY) in BUM(worthless). I live in Buncombe County, and the people here are proud of being the origin of this word. Seriously!
9 ORTOLAN: bits of nORTh and pOLANd
10 B,ROMANCE: another 12th edition word. Fortunately of the recent spate of BRO- words this is the only one that made it, I was worried there’d be a broverload of them
16 PEPPERONI: PEP(go), PER(by) the ONION(head) without ON
17 LOCAVORE: V,O in (ORACLE)*. One who eats only local food – seems to be a popular restaurant fad in the US
20 MR RIGHT: RR in MIGHT. While you’re waiting, I’m here!
23 U,M.B,RIA
24 MOMENT: take NU out of MONUMENT
25 MI,DRIB
27 INDIGO: DI(detective inspector, like Morse), surrounded by INGO(entrance)
29 OGLED: (b)OGLE,D
30 ISLE: hidden reversed

6 comments on “Mephisto 2681 – Paul McKenna”

  1. It=sex=congress. Then remove the start and the last letter on fun – [c]o[n]gress. I think.
  2. Glad you had the job George of checking and highlighting new words. I was expecting something like this to drive home the use of the new edition.

    I had TURN=performer=busy actor – not sure the busy is strictly required. Had more trouble finding TURN TO in Chambers

    I also had (c)O(n)GRESS at 32A

    Good high quality puzzle as is today’s

  3. I also thought [c]o[n]gress for 32

    For 14, isn’t ‘Busy’ the definition? Chambers has ‘To set to work’ under TURN TO and ‘A performer’s act or the performer’ under TURN.

    John

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