Mephisto 2944 by Don Manley

Author   dorsetjimboPosted on Categories Mephisto
Easiest puzzle for some time – top to bottom solve and very little use of dictionary

Across
1 BENEFACT – BENT surrounds CAFE reversed;
6 DADA – DAD-A;
10 ACALEPHAE – (a place he a)*; jellyfish;
12 PODIAL – PO-DIAL;
13 PULS – PULS(e);
15 TSAMBA – hidden (diploma)TS-AMBA(ssadors);
16 COYNESS -CO-(courtes)Y-NESS;
18 LITE – LIT(r)E; dialect for little;
19 LAUGHTER – (s)LAUGHTER; nice clue;
23 AREADING – AREA-DING; old word for declaring;
24 ATAP – A-TAP; leaves;
25 ADVANCE – A-D(V)ANCE; V=Vatican City;
26 WABBIT – “rabbit” = hopeless batsman becomes WABBIT=worn out;
30 OINT – (j)OINT;
31 BANATE – BAN-ATE; ATE=God of Mischief; Hungarian district;
32 ATHETESIS – (hesitates)*;
33 TEAN – finished=neat then “swap ends” to give TEAN=old Greek;
34 STREPENT – ST-REPENT;
Down
1 BAPU – U-PA-B reversed;
2 NADA – A-DAN reversed;
3 FEAL – two meanings 1=old word for hide 2=old word for loyal;
4 CHASSEED – CHAS(e)-SEED; groove=chase; danced the quickstep perhaps;
5 TANAGRA – TAN-AGRA;
7 ANUBIS – A-NU-BIS; twice=BIS;
8 DILATANCY – (lady I cant)*;
9 ABSTERGE – AB(ST-ERG)E;
11 LIANGS – (signal)*;
14 COASTWISE – COAST-WISE;
16 CLEAROUT – CLEAR-OUT; CLEAR is anagram of Clare and OUT is “anagrind”;
17 STRAICHT – (chartist)*;
20 HAGBUTS – H(AG-B)UTS; old guns;
21 SDAINE – ENI(A)DS reversed; old word for scorn;
22 PA’ANGA – P(A)ANGA; money=ready in Tonga;
27 MATE – MATE(rial);
28 WASE – WAS(t)E;
29 GEST – two meanings 1=old word for time fixed 2=old word for romance;

3 comments on “Mephisto 2944 by Don Manley”

  1. I didn’t find this particularly easy: it took three or four sessions to crack it. Mind you I often look at these last thing at night and I’ve been suffering from a cold this week, so the usual sleep-aiding properties of Mephisto solving were probably given a boost.
  2. I found this a good deal harder than last week’s, and one of the ones I didn’t get was BANATE; had the BAN, but couldn’t come up with the 2d half. Who was a goddess, by the way.

Comments are closed.