Odd-numbered Mephisto time! The grid has 90-degree symmetry with four clues running all the way across the 12×12 grid to stop it from separating into four mini-puzzles. All good fin.
I however made a real mess of this, having been utterly convinced that 1 across was PIDDLES, and somehow coming up with ICE DANCE with a question mark for 2 down. Maybe I was on to the start of a whole new crossword.
I think the pun in the top row is for a place?
Wordplay is hopefully explained, definitions are in Chambers and are underlined.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Dwelling in the Borders is taking on direct debit for trifles (7) |
| PEDDLES – PELE(peel-house, fortified dwelling) ‘S, containing DD(direct debit) | |
| 7 | Silky net I stripped from inside leg armour (5) |
| TULLE – remove I from TUILLE (leg armour) | |
| 11 | Always in, so toppled out-going turn (8) |
| EVERSION – EVER(always) then an anagram of IN,SO | |
| 12 | Aged manner to perturb (6) |
| AERATE – AE(aged), RATE(manner, mode) | |
| 13 | Know about new habit (4) |
| WONT – WOT(variant of WIT, know) surrounding N(new) | |
| 14 | Crab on Skegness beach is near place for lobsters (6) |
| SCRAWL – ‘S, CRAWL(lobster pen) | |
| 15 | University College going through moderate interest in Shakespeare (6) |
| USANCE – U(university), then C(college) inside SANE(moderate) | |
| 16 | Doctor here — let’s try keeping active (12, two words) |
| HARLEY STREET – anagram of HERE,LET’S,TRY containing A(active) | |
| 18 | Strands in blasted lies about friendly pug (7) |
| INISLES – anagram of LIES surrounding NIS(friendly spirit) | |
| 22 | Bug Mike then hide (7) |
| MICROBE – MIC(Mike), then ROBE(bison hide) | |
| 24 | Basically broken lines, term for poetry voiced bit by bit (12) |
| SYLLABICALLY – anagram of BASICALLY, then L,L(lines), and the last letter in poetrY | |
| 26 | Tree where the King first appeared (6) |
| TUPELO – double definition, based on Elvis being from Tupelo, Mississippi | |
| 27 | River that’s been cleared for all produces Chinese tea (6) |
| CONGOU – CONGO river, then U(cleared for all) | |
| 29 | Resisting a drink (4) |
| AGIN – A, GIN(drink) | |
| 30 | Indian mogul’s nightmare curbing ID on Uzbeki motors (6) |
| HUZOOR – HOOR(nightmare, difficult person) containing UZ(IVR code for Uzbekistan) | |
| 31 | Clare, say, one breaking into the middle is beyond the TUC, eg (8) |
| NONUNION – NUN(Clare), I inside NOON(middle) | |
| 32 | Keynote article on Middle East (5) |
| THEME – THE(article), ME(Middle East) | |
| 33 | Stay away from hen with this? (7) |
| CUTLASS – CUT(stay away from, as in “cut carbs”), LASS(hen) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Softly blow a drop of water (5) |
| PLASH – P(softly), LASH(blow) | |
| 2 | Entrance on horse? It’s a pleasure to see (8, two words) |
| EYE CANDY – EYE(mine entrance), CANDY(horse, heroin) | |
| 3 | Drone earlier died on top of rocky height, time to escape (4) |
| DORR – D(died) on TORR(rocky height) missing T | |
| 4 | Upsets for East Londoner’s wife getting into tossed salad (6) |
| DWAALS – W(wide) inside an anagram of SALAD. East London in South Africa in this case | |
| 5 | Don’t interfere — put only open space up for lease (12, three words) |
| LET WELL ALONE – WELL can refer to an open space in the middle of buildings, so you can LET(put up for lease) it ALONE | |
| 6 | African confrère in south-east is to bask in uprising (7) |
| SENUSSI – SE(south-east) then a reversal of IS, SUN(to bask in) | |
| 7 | Banking service tucked up, as they say, over a $100 matter (12, two words) |
| TRUST ACCOUNT – sounds like TRUSSED then A, C($100), COUNT(matter) | |
| 8 | Around Berlin, etc, a rural dean coming straight in our direction (6) |
| USWARD – USW(und so weiter, etc), A, RD(rural dean) | |
| 9 | Heraldic beast is first in detailed fleur-de-lis (6) |
| LIONEL – ONE(first) in side LILY(fleur-de-lis) with the last letter missing | |
| 10 | Barely begin endless gush of infatuated Parisienne? (7) |
| ENTETEE – ENTER(begin) missing the last letter, then TEEM(gush) also missing the last letter | |
| 17 | Decks with flowers take shape among hollowed, sculpted beams (8) |
|
EMBLOOMS – LOOM(take shape) inside an anagram of BE |
|
| 18 | Present minute coffee, say (7) |
| INSTANT – three definitions (if you consider instant as coffee) | |
| 19 | Barmy mobile call’s first connected to a clot (7) |
|
EMBOLIC – anagram of MOBILE, then C |
|
| 20 | Mountain elder in Massif Central holding record (6) |
| ALPINE – AINE(elder) containing LP(record) | |
| 21 | Shorter of dashes into cushy chamber (6) |
| PLENUM – EN dash inside PLUM(cushy) | |
| 23 | Learn about absorbing unknown point of Whisky Galore! (6) |
| RANZEL – anagram of LEARN surrounding Z(unknown). Recovering stolen goods. | |
| 25 | Try us when travelling in the Steppes? (5) |
| YURTS – anagram of TRY,US | |
| 28 | Thug ignoring difficult white man in Chennai (4) |
| GORA – GORILLA(thug) missing ILL(difficult) | |
The puns are getting worse and I took this to be “pedestal”