A puzzle so nice I had to share it twice.
I’m off on a golf weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, and I thought I had brought my printed copy of the puzzle to write it up in a rare moment of sobriety, but it turns out that was not the case and I had to solve it over again.
From memory, it took me about 15 minutes, so I guess that is the equivalent of a Mephisto meutrino?
For Mephisto puzzles, all definitions (underlined) can be checked in Chambers, so in the blog I will focus on wordplay.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Idiot copper’s put into cell (5) |
| ASCUS – ASS(idiot) containing CU(copper) | |
| 6 | First-class chums around at Oxford? (6) |
| SLAP-UP – reversal of PALS(chums) then UP(at Oxford) | |
| 11 | Smart shelter redesigned, lined with a tough material (12, two words) |
| NEATS LEATHER – NEAT(smart) then an anagram of SHELTER containing A | |
| 12 | Greek in one story one set of books covered (8) |
| ITALIOTE – I(one) and TALE(story) containing OT(set of books) | |
| 14 | Small creatures in major road blocking vehicle (5) |
| ACARI – The A1(major road) containing CAR(vehicle) | |
| 15 | Beginner is jovial when knocked over (4) |
| NOOB – BOON(jovial) reversed. A term possibly making its Sunday Times debut | |
| 16 | Old money for one who’s helped make 11? (6) |
| TANNER – double definition, since 11 is leather | |
| 17 | Artless young chap at home, dope of the upper-classes (6) |
| INGENU – IN(at home), GEN(dope), U(upper-class) | |
| 18 | Botanical part’s found in grit by lake (8) |
| STAMINAL – STAMINA(grit), L(lake) | |
| 23 | Like some languages in journal lacking particular letters? (8) |
| JAPHETIC – J(journal), APHETIC(missing a vowel at the start of a word) | |
| 26 | Arrive en masse fishing with banks to be avoided (6, two words) |
| ROLL IN – TROLLING(fishing) missing the first and last letters | |
| 27 | Helmet made of gold coated with particular pigment (6) |
| HEAUME – AU(gold) inside HEME(pigment) | |
| 29 | A rescuer of animals has tail cut off wild beast (4) |
| ANOA – A, NOAH(recuer of animals) missing the last letter | |
| 31 | A never-ending dull task that’s done — no longer with a smile (5) |
| AGRIN – A, then GRIND(never-ending task) missing the last letter | |
| 32 | New menu that is about to be offered — food may be presented thus (8) |
| MEUNIERE – anagram of MENU then IE(that is), RE(about) | |
| 33 | Liar currently succeeding with article — something hazy about that (12) |
| MISINFORMANT – IN FORM(currently succeeding), AN(article) inside MIST(something hazy) | |
| 34 | Beer firm admitting contaminant finally? Fury is result (6) |
| ALECTO – ALE(beer) then CO(firm) containing the last letter in contaminanT | |
| 35 | Special house staff, time-wasting group (5) |
| MANSE – MAN(staff) then SET(group) without T(time) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Woman in temple and saint set up sums for certain widows (6) |
| ANNATS – ANNA(the prophetess from the book of Luke), then ST(saint) reversed | |
| 2 | Fish about to be brought into stations (7, two words) |
| SEA CATS – CA(about) inside SEATS(stations | |
| 3 | Chalet in July/August period in biblical location (6) |
| CABANA – AB(July and August in the Jewish calendar) inside CANA(biblical location) | |
| 4 | Vengeance shown by sailors in a complete reversal (5) |
| U-TURN – UTU(vengeance) then RN(sailors) | |
| 5 | Alien can’t learn English? Special training needed (10) |
| ALTERNANCE – anagram of CANT,LEARN then E(English) | |
| 7 | Sing of a land divorced from reality? (4) |
| LA-LA – double definition (the second referring to LA-LA LAND) | |
| 8 | Excited, sitting by the fire? (7) |
| ATINGLE – sittinng by the fire you may be AT INGLE | |
| 9 | Hope abandoned with nothing gained, end of story? Nonsense! (6) |
| PHOOEY – anagram of HOPE containing O(nothing), then the last letter in storY | |
| 10 | Presumably bust, in need of alms somehow — somehow secure earlier? (6) |
| PRE-BUY – anagram of PRESUMABLY minus ALMS | |
| 13 | Something unimportant making one terribly paranoid — stop getting involved (10) |
| ADIAPHORON – anagram of PARANOID containing HO | |
| 19 | Black male with vigour and style in charge (7) |
| MELANIC – M(male), ELAN(vigour and style), IC(in charge) | |
| 20 | Man is repeatedly confused with apes (7) |
| SIMIANS – anagram of MAN, IS,IS | |
| 21 | Grass in school overlooking river (6) |
| GRAMMA – GRAMMAR school missing R(river) | |
| 22 | Loud insect makes splash (6) |
| FLOUSE – F(loud), LOUSE(insect) | |
| 24 | Old Muslim not wanting Sikh symbol gets to prohibit … this? (6) |
| TURBAN – TURK(old Muslim) missing one of the five K’s (Sikh symbol) | |
| 25 | Church getting to mark place of sacrifice? (6) |
| CENOTE – CE(church), NOTE(mark) | |
| 28 | Lizard eaten by stag — amazing! (5) |
| AGAMA – hidden inside stAG AMAzing | |
| 30 | Six no trumps in a card game (4) |
| VINT – VI(six) NT(no trumps) | |
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