Greetings from North Carolina where we are currently under a tornado watch. It’s pretty horrible out but I still have power and internet for right now, so hopefully I can get this all written up.
I did most of this on a plane but needed the dictionary for the last few (ending with 20 down where I wasn’t sure if it ended in an E or Y).
In Mephisto puzzles all definitions (the first of which is underlined) can be confirmed in Chambers, so this write-up will focus on the wordplay.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 5 | Choose to engage any number, in charge of cross-examination (8) |
| ELENCTIC – ELECT(choose) containing N(any number), then IC(in charge) | |
| 11 | A stain to get shifted — not one produced by orange dyes (7) |
| ANATTOS – anagram of A,STAIN,TO minus I(one) | |
| 12 | Humble but not leader as member of parliament? (4) |
| OWLY – LOWLY(humble) missing the first letter | |
| 13 | Abraham’s father having change of heart (5) |
| TERAH – anagram of HEART | |
| 14 | Foot coming down heavily in street approaching slope (6) |
| STRAMP – ST(street) by RAMP(slope) | |
| 15 | Born to a true rogue, I admitted being so much the richer (12, two words) |
| TANTO UBERIOR – anagram of BORN,TO,A,TRUE containing I | |
| 16 | Get rid of language containing first hint of animosity (5) |
| ERASE – ERSE(language) containing the first letter of Animosity | |
| 17 | Savage queen maybe featured in women’s magazine (6) |
| SCATHE – CAT(queen, maybe) inside SHE(women’s magazine) | |
| 18 | Bird, one coming to river in meadow (6) |
| LEIPOA – I(one), by PO(river) inside LEA(meadow) | |
| 24 | Way the old man rolls over in a subhuman condition? (6) |
| APEDOM – MODE(way), and PA(the old man) all reversed | |
| 26 | Lord, that is tiny on some islands! (6) |
| PEERIE – PEER(lord), IE(that is) | |
| 27 | Holy scriptures not a source of light (5) |
| VESTA – AVESTA(holy scriptures) missing A | |
| 30 | Reasons a creationist is misguided (12) |
| RATIOCINATES – anagram of A,CREATIONIST | |
| 31 | Ease old member in time (6) |
| ALEGGE – LEG(member) inside AGE(time) | |
| 32 | Sports club has managed to collect money (5) |
| FRANC – F.C.(sports club) containing RAN(managed) | |
| 33 | Imbecile decapitated flower (4) |
| NILE – ANILE(imbecile) missing the first letter | |
| 34 | Cordial human being cut short, interrupted by one that’s cold (7) |
| PERSICO – PERSON(human being) missing the last letter, containing I(one), C(cold) | |
| 35 | Old-style physician a little man probing heart (8) |
| GALENIST – A, LEN(little man) inside GIST(heart) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Be in debt at Oxford? Sounds like a struggle (6) |
| BATTEL – homophone of BATTLE(struggle) | |
| 2 | A French female, a revolutionary not able to listen? (7) |
| UNEARED – UNE(female “a” in French), A, RED(revolutionary) | |
| 3 | Very small buffalo in an Indian group? (5) |
| VARNA – V(very), ARNA(buffalo) | |
| 4 | Position not superior, as shown by data (5) |
| STATS – STATUS(position) missing U(superior) | |
| 6 | Having Chambers, find bits of unusual language therein (8) |
| LOCULATE – LOCATE(find) containing first letters of Universal Language | |
| 7 | Remark on church devoid of modern gimmickry (6) |
| NO-TECH – NOTE(remark) on CH(church) | |
| 8 | Get worn down, as a record being played (7) |
| CORRADE – anagram of A,RECORD | |
| 9 | See some enthusiast wait eternally for a fish (6) |
| TWAITE – hidden inside enthusiasT WAIT Eternally | |
| 10 | Tree must be cut as a matter of legal principle (6, two words) |
| CY PRES – CYPRESS(tree) missing the last letter | |
| 17 | Specifies about four verbs of a particular type (8) |
| STATIVES -STATES(specifies) containing IV(four) | |
| 19 | Through one exclamation of surprise makes an astronomical point (7) |
| PERIGEE – PER(through), I(one), GEE(exclamation of surprise) | |
| 20 | Military formation’s rare power (7) |
| POTENCE – double definition | |
| 21 | Without kids, made a call — appeared suddenly? (6) |
| SPRANG – SP(sine prole, without kids), RANG(made a call) | |
| 22 | Once again explain about Swiss hero (6) |
| RETELL – RE(about), william TELL(Swiss hero) | |
| 23 | Element of protoplasm? Big one undergoing change (6) |
| BIOGEN – anagram of BIG,ONE | |
| 25 | Arts graduate’s to study lots of dense material (6) |
| MASCON – MA’S(arts graduate’s), CON(study) | |
| 28 | Signs of sorrow beginning to end formerly, but not now (5) |
| EARST – TEARS(signs of sorrow) with the first letter moved to the end | |
| 29 | Scottish colt’s gait’s awkward (5) |
| STAIG – anagram of GAIT’S | |
I used to pay BATTELs but I never heard it used as a verb like this.
I thought the definition at 24 was rather anthropocentric!
I hope Thud tells us how he got on with it!
I think I am improving, as I am now able to solve most of them at one go. Of course, a hard one would still throw me off-stride.