This Don Manley Mephisto was not terribly difficult, but since I was tired I didn’t finish it all in one sitting, wisely breaking off and going to bed with several undone. When I came back, I found most of them rather straightforward, with only a couple needing a trawl through Chambers.
I hope everyone is enjoying the new site – let’s get those avatars uploaded, now that John has made them show up properly.
| Across | |
| 1 | One with no funds — I’m aged, bottom in certain classifications (7) |
| INFIMAE – I + N/F + I’M + AE, a compendium of abbreviations. | |
| 6 | Condescend, being old-style European going round India (5) |
| DAINE – DA(I)NE, a Spenserian spelling. | |
| 10 | WI teased the old woman escort in the auditorium (9) |
| MAMAGUYED – MAMA + sounds like GUIDE. | |
| 11 | Clever expression, not half an attempt to show social division (7) |
| PHRATRY – PHR[ase] + A TRY. | |
| 12 | Sulk in Lochgilphead or Troon? (4) |
| DORT – Hidden in [Lochgilphea]D OR T[roon]. | |
| 14 | Want a bishop (without being Italian) to lead church (7) |
| ABSENCE – A B + SEN + C.E, where sen = without in Italian. | |
| 15 | Colour of blood is awfully scary, enthralling yours truly (7) |
| CRAMESY – Anagram of SCARY around ME. | |
| 17 | By the end of street is bleak slab with inscription? (6) |
| TABLET – [stree]T + ABLET, where both bleak and ablet refer to a fish. | |
| 20 | Pick up drug long delayed (5) |
| ELATE – E, LATE. | |
| 21 | Hair — the last thing you will want in beer (5) |
| PILUS -PIL([yo}U]S. | |
| 22 | Books with many a prayer or song? (6) |
| ORARIA – OR + ARIA, at last a simple one. | |
| 25 | Wind around part of hospital with one very good person (7) |
| ENTWIST – E.N.T + W + I + ST. Usually that part of the hospital is at the end of a word. | |
| 28 | Frightened to cross river, suffering psychological damage? (7) |
| SCARRED – SCAR(R)ED, another beginner clue. | |
| 29 | Dynasty’s pungency (4) |
| TANG – Double definition, my FOI. | |
| 30 | Fighter betrayed, leading to fuss (7) |
| SOLDADO – SOLD + ADO, a write-in if you know the word. | |
| 31 | Song of jazz fan full of traditional woe, met with cheers (9) |
| CABALETTA – CA(BALE)T + TA. | |
| 32 | What pupils do audibly in swamp (5) |
| LERNE – Sounds like LEARN. | |
| 33 | A certain river’s wrecked the lane (7) |
| LETHEAN – Anagram of THE LANE. I thought I wouldn’t know the river, then I saw it. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Striking deed of troublemaker before performance (6) |
| IMPACT – IMP + ACT, where the literal could be interpreted as the act of striking. | |
| 2 | What land may be having story about member? (8) |
| FARMABLE – F(ARM)ABLE, another rather simple one. | |
| 3 | One wanting silence, restricting a person praying out loud (5) |
| IMAUM – I + MU(A)M, an alternate spelling. | |
| 4 | Dull subject — not one of education’s essentials (5) |
| MATTE – MATTE[r], where you take out one of the three Rs. | |
| 5 | Dissolute star in time becomes favoured no longer (7) |
| AGRASTE – AG(anagram of STAR)E. | |
| 6 | Duke, last one to make a colourful contribution (7) |
| DYESTER – D + YESTER. | |
| 7 | See a source of disease that flies around (5) |
| AEDES – Anagram of SEE A + D[isease], an &lit. | |
| 8 | Crazy romantics showing the influence of drugs? (9) |
| NARCOTISM – Anagram of ROMANTICS. | |
| 9 | Opinionated leader of enterprise with ridiculous tenet (6) |
| ENTETE – E[nterprise] + anagram of TENET. | |
| 13 | Grey matter is protected by this underwear packed for travel? (9) |
| BRAINCASE – BRA IN CASE, a chestnut. | |
| 16 | A certain ground having a sort of ridge (8) |
| CARINATE – Anagram of A CERTAIN. | |
| 18 | English writer to draw in a particular geometrical fashion (7) |
| ESCRIBE – E + SCRIBE. | |
| 19 | Conservative out of a job? Express sympathy (7) |
| CONDOLE – CON on the DOLE. | |
| 21 | Note Italian river, mostly calm (6) |
| POSTIL – PO + STIL[l] – I nearly biffed POST-IT, but couldn’t parse. | |
| 23 | Transfer to another — an act getting reported (6) |
| ATTORN – Sounds like A TURN. | |
| 24 | Source of light needed for chopping tree (5) |
| ARGAN – ARGAN[d], a fancy kind of lamp. | |
| 26 | I abandoned small room offered by landlord? (5, two words) |
| TO LET – TO[i]LET. | |
| 27 | Having to keep date within range (5) |
| WIDTH – WI(D)TH. | |
Thank you for those explanations. There were a couple which I got wrong, having persuaded myself of readings which, in retrospect are less convincing than yours.
For 21a I had PILES (stop sniggering), on the grounds that Chambers has PILE as a covering of hair or a single hair, etc. I read it as PILS containing E as the last thing in THE.
For 21d, POSTAL (a US postcard, apparently), as PO + STAL(L).
Both a bit of a stretch, but they seemed like a good idea at the time.
Fairly straightforward.
I had 19 as C for conservative then ON DOLE for ‘out of a job’. Doesn’t make much difference!
Fun puzzle – didn’t know many of the definitions, but the wordplay was all clear.