Each of the three Mephisto setters had a certain flavor to their puzzles, and with Tim Moorey there’s often a dash of sportsball and popular culture. Usually popular culture I am not up on at all, fortunately this time around the wordplay or definition was enough for me to see around the unfamiliar references.
Interesting grid construction leading to several answers with three unchecked letters, which is unusual in Mephisto.
All definitions can be confirmed in Chambers, I’ll only comment on the non-obvious ones. First definitions in clues are underlined.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | One’s willing to acquire new extra handle (6) |
| AGNAME – A(one), GAME(willing) containing N | |
| 5 | Ditches cheap jewel after losing temper (6) |
| RHINES – the cheap jewel is a RHINESTONE, remove TONE(temper) | |
| 9 | Provided absorbing translation of Racine synopsis (8) |
| SCENARIO – SO(provided) containing an anagram of RACINE | |
| 11 | Amazement with heartless JFK shooting, ultimately clamour and distress for Americans (12) |
|
KATZENJAMMER – anagram of AMAZEMENT and J |
|
| 13 | Star soldiers are taken in (7) |
| ANTARES – soldier ANTS containing ARE | |
| 14 | Trap in dodgy Danube area removed (5) |
| UBEND – anagram of DANUBE minus A | |
| 16 | Girl showing how DLA could be obtained (5) |
| LINDA – you could get DLA by putting L IN DA. Neat clue, DLA is Disability Living Allowance | |
| 17 | Deal in three parts, oddly (5) |
| TREAT – alternating letters in ThReE pArTs. Deal as in “deal with” | |
| 19 | Letters from Egypt, for instance (4) |
| ETAS – ET(IVR code for Egypt), AS(for instance) | |
| 22 | The Prince and the Frog was organised by American (4) |
| RANA – two definitions (prince and frog) and wordplay, RAN(organised), A(American) | |
| 23 | A thrusting virtuous man Mike Pence making an impression (5) |
| STAMP – A inside ST(saint, virtuous) man, M(Mike, International radio code for M), P(pence). Reference to the Vice Presidumb of Trumpydoodleland (sigh, where I live) | |
| 25 | Alto and a tenor seen in public previously (5) |
| APERT – A(alto), PER(a), T(tenor) | |
| 29 | Love bit of luck for tennis champion (5) |
| NADAL – NADA(love) and the first letter in Luck. In a few hours he will be playing Djokovic in the Australian Open Tennis Men’s final. | |
| 30 | One terribly boring fat man? (7) |
| LEONARD – anagram of ONE in LARD(fat) | |
| 31 | Richard’s holding soft and individually fitted footwear (12, two words) |
| DIGITAL SOCKS – DICK’S (Richard’s) containing GIT(soft), ALSO(and). Socks with toes in them. Very difficult to put on, I wore them in a production of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)” last year. | |
| 32 | Enthusiastic about a firm stocking navy coat (8) |
| INTONACO – INTO(enthusiastic about), A, CO(firm) containing N(navy) | |
| 33 | Taught registered nurse in Kent resort when retired (6) |
| LARNED – RN(Registered Nurse) in DEAL(Kent resort) reversed | |
| 34 | Stomach’s upset alas, after starters of oyster and mussels (6) |
| OMASAL – anagram of ALAS, after the first letters in Oyster and Mussels | |
| Down | |
| 1 | One special philosopher showing suspicion (6) |
| ASKANT – A(one), S(special), KANT(philosopher) | |
| 2 | One acting Chief Inspector on TV irritates (7) |
| NETTLES – got this from the definition… John NETTLES plays Tom Barnaby on Midsomer Murders | |
| 3 | Digger from zone in part of Galilee picked up (5) |
| ANZAC – Z(zone) in CANA(part of Galilee) reversed | |
| 4 | Seaweed coming from rising loch froth in Scotland (5) |
| MAERL – reversal of L(loch) and REAM(froth) | |
| 5 | Food from the east, possibly just a trifle oriental mister rejected (10) |
| RIJSTTAFEL – anagram of JUST,A,TRIFLE missing U(Burmese title for master) | |
| 6 | One is tense engaging acting medic, foot specialist (7) |
| IAMBIST – I(one), IS, T(tense) containing A(acting), MB(Bachelor of Medicine). Literary foot. | |
| 7 | Brain cells many deep, needing treatment (8) |
| EPENDYMA – anagram of MANY,DEEP | |
| 8 | After Bishop’s replaced priest, army chaplains turned up in secret chamber (6) |
| SERDAB – B replacing P in PADRES(army chaplains) | |
| 10 | Forecast given by royal servants you once ignored (4) |
| OMEN – YEOMEN(royal servants) missing YE(you) | |
| 12 | Jacob, for example splitting two notes on organ in part of US (10, two words) |
| NEW ENGLAND – EWE(Jacob, sheep) inside N,N(two notes) then GLAND(organ) | |
| 15 | Grab place in rock to see a gigantic fish (8) |
| ARAPAIMA – RAP(grab, fourth definition in Chambers), AIM(place) inside AA(volcanic rock) | |
| 18 | A right shower said to be put on trial (7) |
| ARRAIGN – A, R(right) then sounds like RAIN(shower) | |
| 20 | Some instruments ruin a group aiming for harmony (7) |
| MARACAS – MAR(ruin), ACAS(Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) | |
| 21 | Some boots and a light shoe (6) |
| SANDAL – hideen inside bootS AND A Light | |
| 24 | Kitty over on vacation digs type of soil (6) |
|
PODSOL – POOL(kitty) surrounding D |
|
| 26 | Keenness shown by guard leaving hospital (4) |
| EDGE – HEDGE(guard) missing H(hospital) | |
| 27 | Intimate Pole embracing another Pole (5) |
| BOSOM – BOOM(pole, spar) surrounding S(South Pole) | |
| 28 | Fruit soon beginning to appear (5) |
| ANONA – ANON(soon), then the first letter in Appear | |
Needed aids for RIJSTTAFEL, EPENDYMA, and ARAPAIMA, but the handful of other unknowns were all successfully worked out from the clues.
FOI LINDA
LOI INTONACO
COD NADAL
On to today’s!