Mephisto 2732 by Paul McKenna – Easy-osy

I just don’t know what to say about this puzzle. I was reading clues and writing in answers and that just shouldn’t happen with a Mephisto. I never once referred to Chambers and solved it in much the same time as a straightforward daily cryptic – say about 20 minutes.

Across
1	EPIBLAST – EP-I-BLAST; EP=Extended Play=old vinyl record;
7	IOTA – I(O)TA; ITA=Initial Teaching Alphabet;
10	DAUPHINESS – (shes unpaid)*; usually Marie Antoinette;
11	RESIGNED – RE(S)IGNED;
13	ESILE – hidden reversed (macker)EL I SE(nse); old vinegar;
14	EASY-OSY – (essay)* surrounds YO;
17	DEMUR – DEMUR(e);
18	OAR,FISH – OA(R)FISH;
20	UTERI – UT-(IRE reversed);
22	WHIFT – (with)* surrounds F=folio;
23	PECULIA – PA=dad surrounds (clue + I)*; see peculium in C under peculiar;
24	SENTE – SENT-(hom)E; money in Lesotho;
28	LADRONE – L(A-DR)ONE; Long John Silver;
29	BOUND – three meanings;
31	ACIERATE – AC(I)ERATE;
32	POETRESSES – (tropes)* surrounds ESSE;
33	DASH – D-ASH;
34	ARMED,EYE – A-RM-ED-EYE; old word for brood=EYE; as distinct from “naked eye”;

Down
1	EYRE – two meanings;
2	PRESS,AHEAD – PRESS-A-HEAD;
3	BAILIFF – B-AIL-IF-F; bedbug=B (see initial entry under B in C);
4	LUGER – LUG(g)ER; a toboggan – why “she”?;
5	APNEA – AP-NEA(r);
6	SHEATHE – SHE-A-THE;
7	INBYE – (scot + INBYE)* gives “obscenity”;
8	OENOMELS – (lonesome)*; honey and unfermented Greek grape juice – supposedly cures gout;
9	ASSYRIAN – ASS-(yarn I)*;
12	ESURIENTLY – (RUSE=stall reversed)-(yet nil)*;
15	COWSLIP’D – CO(W-SLIP)D;
16	TRINDLES – TRIN-(SELD reversed);
19	SPENCER – two meanings;
21	TUTORED – TUT-O-RED;
25	TRUTH – T(RUT)H;
26	DEISM – MED reversed contains IS;
27	OBESE – O-BESE(e=earl);
30	DEKE – D-EKE; ice hockey move that deceives an opponent – more Canadian than Yankee?;

2 comments on “Mephisto 2732 by Paul McKenna – Easy-osy”

I did a bit of a double-take when I saw PD at the end of 15 down, but got most of this out on a plane without any dictionaries. Unlike Jim I had to come back and check a few – TRINDLES last in

This took me about 45 minutes, which is certainly a record for Mephisto. I did look a fair number of words up but there were quite a few clues where I didn’t have to, which is very unusual.

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