Fun puzzle this one, with some juicy wordplay. My favorite part of Mephisto is finding new words from clever wordplay, and this puzzle had a lot of that. 9 down took me back, with the SI-derived unit for magnetic flux. I have students do magnetic analysis on a regular basis, but we use CGI units which are consistent, but more obtuse than the decimal units.
Since definitions (which are underlined) can be confirmed in Chambers, this write-up will focus more on the wordplay.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Large partridge — lots seen around, but tons lost (6) |
| YNAMBU – reversal of MANY(lots) then BUT missing T(tons) | |
| 5 | Doctor going by boat in capital (6) |
| MOSCOW – MO(medical officer, doctor) then SCOW(boat) | |
| 10 | Goddess of love coming to a premature end suddenly (6) |
| ASTART – ASTARTE (goddess of love) missing the last letter | |
| 11 | Old Scottish star meets English writer born in Ireland (6) |
| STERNE – STERN(star, third definition in Chambers) then E(english) | |
| 12 | Norse goddess I love — subsequently I worship sun-god (10) |
| HELIOLATER – HEL(Norse god of the underworld) then I, O(love), LATER(subsequently) | |
| 13 | Quiet little dwarf making money (4) |
| PELF – P(quiet), ELF(little dwarf) | |
| 14 | One giving blast in frolic in theatre’s wings (6) |
| TROMPE – ROMP(frolic) inside the outer letters o TheatrE | |
| 16 | Dame with this yellow pigment could be seen as matinee idol (7) |
| ETIOLIN – anagram of MATINEE IDOL minus DAME | |
| 17 | Something wet about the backward group, an arty lot (9) |
| AESTHETES – SEA(something wet) reversed, then THE, and a reversal of SET(group) | |
| 20 | Strange dream at start of book that gets under the skin? (9) |
| DERMATOME – anagram of DREAM, then TOME(book) | |
| 26 | Sentence in advance of poem about to be introduced into concert (7) |
| PREDOOM – ODE(poem) reversed inside PROM(concert) | |
| 27 | Fish? Stop every one being caught (6) |
| BALLAN – BAN(stop) containing ALL(every one) | |
| 28 | Orb seen at end of short month is asteroid (4) |
| JUNO – O(orb) after JUN(short for June) | |
| 29 | Rock produced by group of travellers, explosive stuff (10) |
| CAMPTONITE – CAMP(group of travelers), then TONITE(explosive stuff) | |
| 30 | This writer’s going round with whitish stick (6) |
| EMPALE – ME(this writer’s) reversed, then PALE(whitish) | |
| 31 | Catlike creatures requiring a hundred and one animal specialists (6) |
| CIVETS – CI(101 in Roman numerals), VETS(animal specialists) | |
| 32 | Sweet paper thrown into river (6) |
| DRAGEE – RAG(paper) inside the river DEE | |
| 33 | Listener gets to hurry round, “shocked” as before? (6) |
| HEARIE – EAR(listener) inside HIE(to hurry) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Money set up for each speaker (6) |
| YAPPER – PAY(money) reserved, PER(for each) | |
| 2 | E-tailer working in studio (7) |
| ATELIER – anagram of E-TAILER | |
| 3 | Restraint in marriage, reportedly (6) |
| BRIDLE – sounds liek BRIDAL | |
| 4 | Chief occupying Scottish island — one with unrealistic expectations (7) |
| UTOPIST – TOP(chief) inside UIST(scottish island) | |
| 6 | Vatican has this seal for dedicated worshipper (5) |
| OTARY – remove V(Vatican) from OTARY(dedicated worshipper) | |
| 7 | Bristly ends of beards receive comb (6) |
| SETOSE – last letters of beardS, receivE, then TOSE(comb) | |
| 8 | Maiden wearing native American skin product? (5) |
| CREME – M(maiden) inside CREE(native American) | |
| 9 | Old weavers getting rid of stone units (6) |
| WEBERS – WEBSTER(weaver) missin ST(stone) | |
| 12 | Greek character enthralled by goddess as mistress (7) |
| HETAERA – ETA(Greek letter) inside HERA(goddess) | |
| 15 | Private school pupil, individual to advance (7) |
| PREPONE – PREP(private school pupil), ONE(individual) | |
| 18 | Char, a source of enlightenment full of energy (7) |
| TORGOCH – TORCH(source of enlightenment) containing GO(energy) | |
| 19 | Angler suffering torture (7) |
| TROUTER – anagram of TORTURE | |
| 20 | Society female and old rocker no longer owing money? (6) |
| DEBTED – DEB(society female) and TED(old rocker) | |
| 21 | Monkey in pain needing leg up (6) |
| MALMAG – MAL(pain – think “mal de mer”) then GAM(leg) reversed | |
| 22 | Servants around one, that is? Maybe, once (6) |
| MEINIE -MEN(servants) containing I(one), then IE(that is) | |
| 23 | South African trader to get drunk around noon (6) |
| SMOUSE – SOUSE(drunk) surrounding M(noon) | |
| 24 | In the manner of old man making music (5) |
| ALAPA – ALA(in the manner of), PA(old man) | |
| 25 | Horse no longer gets place when running (5) |
| CAPLE – anagram of PLACE | |
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