Mephisto 2851 – Tim Moorey

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
Hi Mephistfans. Another week, more barred-grid clues to obscure words for you to unravel. My first pass through of this one yielded a lot of question marks, which means words I need to look up in the dictionary to confirm. I had made a few fluffs in the top left hand corner in particular (took me a long while to convince myself that despite it not being in any dictionary, EBER wasn’t the answer to 4 down), but once that was sorted out the rest of it slotted into place quite nicely.

Well… except for two – one is pretty obvious from the definition but I have quibbles over the wordplay, and the other is a phrase I’ve been on the lookout for since it was an Azed competition clue last month. Tim Moorey got an HC, not sure if this was the clue that was used. Suggestions from the hive mind most welcome.

Away we go…

Across
1 ECTHYMA: THY inside (chaps) an anagram of CAME
7 PIGS: PIGSWILL missing WILL
10 CAROB: CAR(Charles – Carolus) and ROB with the R shared
11 AIRBOAT: R,BOA in AIT
13 CERTAINTY: (CITY,AREN’T)*
14 TO(forward),HO(moderation)
16 OMEN,TA
18 MIMOSA: (IMAM’S)* around O
19 SET-TOP BOX: SET TO and BOX around P – I had one of these in the TV in my room for a while – did it have to come with so many flashing lights?
21 TURN LOOSE: TURN(issue) then S in LOOE
22 ANADEM: MEA(t) reversed with (AND)* inside
24 MOPED,S(ecurity)
27 AGED: DEGA(s) reversed
29 LATRATION: RATION after first letters in Local Authority Team
30 AILANTO: (LAOTIAN)* – nice clue, since the tree is Asian, wonder if it grows in Laos?
31 LENT,I(n)
32 SNIG: GINS reversed
33 UNDIGHT: take the two F’s (starts of Falling, Firm) from FUND, FIGHT
 
Down
1 ECHT: THE around C all reversed
2 CAT O’ MOUNTAIN: CATO then MOUNTAIN
3 TRIHEDRAL: HE’D R inside TRIAL
4 YBET: YET(even) containing B
5 MARCATO: I think this is CA(about) inside O(bull – the shape of a bull on a dart board) with MART on the top. I see MART can also mean a cow, so I might be missing a more obvious reading of the clue
6 GRACIOSO: Double container! GR(Greek) SO(in due course) surrounding 1 in CO
7 PB,IT
8 GATES OF DEATH: this was an Azed competition clue, and at the risk of incurring the wrath of another Mephisto setter, I think this is alluding to two biblical references? I haven’t been entering Azed’s clueing competition lately, that one I gave a wide berth to.
9 STYRAXES: YR in ST(Sao Tome), AXES
12 ITEM: hidden reversed in soMETImes
15 WOBBEGONG: BOW (bend) reversed, then BEG(pray) ON(close to) the head of Ginormous
16 OC(only child),TAP(monitor, like a wire tap),LAS(t)
17 TELEMANN: sounds like TELLY MAN
20 TOMPION: a watch… TOM, then PIN containing 0(ring)
23 MATT: double definition with the book of MATTHEW
25 CRAG: CRAVING without VIN
26 WOLD: W for F in FOLD
28 DOIT: take the R out of DROIT (French right)

3 comments on “Mephisto 2851 – Tim Moorey”

  1. Same here George – no idea what 8D is all about and was confused by wording of 5D. No problems with the rest of it.
  2. 8D: “(death) rattle” and “prerequisites for the Resurrection” as two definitions for “gates of death”.

    Edited at 2015-04-26 01:41 pm (UTC)

  3. Just finished this: still behind on them. I don’t understand 8dn even with Peter’s explanation.
    PBIT is rather out of date. It’s always EBIT these days. Or more usually EBITDA.

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