Greetings, barred-grid fans
This is definitely on the easier side for the Mephisto, but it’s good to have the occasional easy one to attract a few more solvers. Lots of clear wordplay, short abbreviations, several IVR codes making the clues accessible.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Source of warmth needed after cold snap? (7) |
| CHEATER – HEATER (source of warmth) after C (cold). One of the many definitions of SNAP in Chambers is “A sharper, a cheat” | |
| 7 | Cunning Russia taking base (4) |
| RUSE – RUS (Russie) and E (base) | |
| 11 | Continue activities in history site in Egypt (6) |
| ABYDOS – ABY (continue) and DOS (activities) both historical | |
| 12 | Costly introducing new currency (5) |
| DENAR – DEAR (expensive) containing N (new) | |
| 13 | Plant oddly visible in deserted Troy (9) |
| DEVIL’S-BIT – anagram of VISIBLE inside D (deserted) and T (Troy) | |
| 16 | Hard muscle firmness after eating one’s protein (7) |
| HISTONE – H (hard) and TONE (muscle firmness) containing I’S (one’s) | |
| 17 | Scots put out fires finally on area of heather (5) |
| SMOOR – the last letter of fireS, then MOOR (area of heather) | |
| 18 | Tenor in an entrance missing the first note (5) |
| TRIAL – ATRIAL (in an entrance) minus the first A (note) | |
| 19 | M1 slip road built with a particular shape (10) |
| PRISMOIDAL – anagram of M, I(1), SLIP ROAD | |
| 22 | Divine grace follows brilliant death in Shakespeare (10) |
| DEFUNCTION – UNCTION (divine grace) after DEF (brilliant) | |
| 23 | Funeral sacrificing black sheep (5) |
| URIAL – BURIAL (funeral) minus B (black) | |
| 25 | Good luck in Gretna young man, she is heartless (5) |
| SONSE – SON (young man) then ShE minus the middle letter | |
| 27 | Vicious backing censure over mourning clothes (7) |
| DISMALS – SID Vicious reversed, then SLAM (censure) reversed. 27 years after his death at 21, I wonder if Sid Vicious knew he would become a wordplay element? | |
| 29 | Give a joint to all, but not the head butcher’s cleaner (9) |
| KNEE-HOLLY – KNEE (a joint), then WHOLLY (to all) minus the first letter | |
| 30 | Without company leaving Calabrian city (5) |
| SENZA – remove CO (company) from COSENZA (Calabrian city) | |
| 31 | Musically suitable opera by Handel, but not at home (6) |
| GIUSTO – GIUSTINO (Handel opera) minus IN (at home0 | |
| 32 | Former command in the Territorials (4) |
| HETE – hidden inside tHE TErritorials | |
| 33 | Warships in strait remain (7) |
| SUBSIST – SUBS (warships), I (in), ST (strait) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Juniper regularly found in Chaldaea (4) |
| CADE – alternating letters in ChAlDeA | |
| 2 | What can support second of wheels on shaft (5) |
| H-BEAM – second letter of wHeels, then BEAM (shaft) | |
| 3 | Soaking up in a cube of fat (7) |
| ADIPOSE – SOP (a soaking) reversed inside A, DIE (cube) | |
| 4 | Former currency of Libya (5) |
| TOLAR – TO (of), LAR (Libya) | |
| 5 | Rusty bogie ruins loco (10) |
| RUBIGINOSE – anagram of BOGIE, RUINS | |
| 6 | Old show contempt for the local author (5) |
| ODIST – O (old), DIS (show contempt for), ‘T (the, local) | |
| 8 | Not working hard stripping shower walls, ordinary inside? (9) |
| UNTOILING – stripping shower walls could be UNTILING, insert O (ordinary) | |
| 9 | Located by naval routing system (6) |
| SATNAV – SAT (located, had a specific position), then NAV (naval) | |
| 10 | Reline half of my battered old fur (7) |
| ERMELIN – anagram of RELINE and half of My | |
| 14 | With nothing round body square shoulders must be shivering (10) |
| SHROUDLESS – S (square) and an anagram of SHOULDERS | |
| 15 | Assumed India toss for batting? (9) |
| SOI-DISANT – anagram of INDIA TOSS | |
| 19 | Starchy food after Portugal game (7) |
| PRUDISH – DISH (food) after P (Portugal), RU (game) | |
| 20 | Unproductive punishment in Australia (7) |
| ATOKOUS – TOKO (punishment, found in Chambers under TOCO) inside AUS (Australia) | |
| 21 | Is cutting lavish salad plant (6) |
| FRISEE – IS inside FREE (lavish) | |
| 24 | Hawaiian verandah, one from the bottom to the top (5) |
| LANAI – I (one) and ANAL (from the bottom) reversed | |
| 25 | European prejudice about Hungary’s backing (5) |
| SAHIB – BIAS (prejudice) surrounding H (Hungary) all reversed | |
| 26 | Rest once succeeded after special purgatives (5) |
| SALTS – ALT (rest, once), S (succeeded) after S (special) | |
| 28 | A number reported small island (4) |
| EYOT – homophone of EIGHT (a number) | |
Got the symmetrically placed Scots words SMOOR and SONSE one right after the other. “Former currency of Libya” drove me crazy, with LAR quite a surprise. As was ATOKOUS. Always learn something from these.