Mephisto 2981 – Tim Moorey

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
This was an interesting puzzle of halves and quarters. I had almost all of the right hand side complete with practically nothing in the left. Then moved to the bottom left, completed with not much in the top right, where I finished with 3 down, where I am pretty sure the answer is correct but I am having a tough time with the wordplay. I’m used to seeing cricket in Tim Moorey’s puzzles (and there is some here) but I am much less familiar with the world of rugby.

Away we go…

Across
1 OPHIR: PHI(z)(face, clock) in OR – got this from wordplay, it is a biblical place of great wealth
6 OBTEST: OBTUSEST(most blunt) missing US
11 JARARACA: JAR(container), RACA(of no worth) containing A
12 AILETTE: A1(excellent) then LETTE(r)(type)
13 RADAR: palindromic navigational aid
14 FELSPARS: anagram of SHELF missing (hooc)H containing SPAR(box)
16 REPENT: RET(retired) containing PEN(author) – botany term
18 AREDD: AD(notice) around RED(former British fleet squadron)
19 ANCHUSA: A then CH(check) in N, USA. Or AN, then CH in USA, take your pics
21 DONNARD: DON(fellow) then CANARD(hoax) missing CA(about)
23 RATHA: RATHER(indeed) missing ER(monarch) then A(academy)
28 IFFIER: IF then FI (back to back), (gam)E, R(resistance)
29 DAYESMAN: half of DAFT(weak-minded), then YES MAN(one who never says no)
30 EAGRE: E,AGRE(e)(suit)
31 AMBROSE: A, MB(doctor), ROSE(stood up) – reference to Curtly Ambrose, the West Indian fast bowler
32 ERITREAN: anagram of RETAINER
33 NISSEN: NESS(head), IN(home) all reversed
34 ASSAY: SA(it) reversed, then SAY(express) – didn’t know this as an older term for ESSAY
 
Down
1 ONAGRA: ON(acceptable) over AGRA(Indian city)
2 PRIMERO: PRIM(proper) then HERO(idol) missing H(hearts)
3 HALFPENNY: OK, there is a Welsh rugby star named Leigh HALFPENNY, but I don’t get the rest of the clue
4 IDEAD: I(one), DEAD(finished) containing the last letter of officE
5 RATE TART: RATE(consider), TART(brass, prostitute)
7 BARSAC: BAR(rod) and SAC(pouch)
8 TRAPE: reversal of E, PART(break)
9 SCAR,F
10 TARSIA: TAR(set) then the first letters of Stages In Ancona
15 ABUTILONS: anagram of USAIN BOLT
17 INDIAMAN: MA(mum) inside INDIAN(curry)
20 SHEESHA: SHE(female) on E and SHA(g)(tobacco)
21 DUDEEN: DUD(useless), EEN(exactly, even)
22 ABSE RE: anagram of BEERS for Absente reo
24 AFARAS: AFAR(at a distance) A, S(square)
25 ARTERY: R(eall)Y after an anagram of TEAR
26 LAARI: LA(sc)AR(eastern sailor missing the middle),
I(island)
27 PERTS: PER(a), T(aco)S

8 comments on “Mephisto 2981 – Tim Moorey”

  1. Poor me,will stick to normal cryptics,only got RADAR & ERITREAN.ONAGRA an anagram of my name,he he.
    Ong’ara,
    Nairobi.
  2. Similar story George – unusual for me as I rarely fill just one half of a grid

    HALFPENNY a complete mystery to me also!

  3. Totally unable to explain 3dn, which is one reason i’m here .. you can’t do it George, I can’t do it, Jim can’t do it .. we need either the setter, or a better solver than us ..
  4. Win is obsolete slang for a penny, according to Chambers, so I think the parsing must be that a halfpenny is a “contribution” to a penny.
    2. Yes, the halfpenny coin was once part of a penny (so a contribution to an historic penny (win)) but is no longer, at least in reality.
  6. I’ll add my voice to the chorus of “Gosh, this was hard” – I completed the grid in the end with the help of a a lot of aids, but I could never have done this just using my native brainpower.

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