Category: Mephisto

Greetings, barred-grid fans. For Robert Teuton’s second Mephisto offering, I believe he ratcheted up the difficulty a touch. I liked the quirky clueing. particularly the long charades (2 and 17 down for example), and would … Read more “Mephisto 3263 – Robert Teuton”

Most of this was straightforward enough, but there are a few bits I did’t fully understand while solving.   I finished it in two sessions, and checked my results against Chambers.  

Greetings, barred-grid fans. After two weeks with new setters we are back to the familiar territory with Tim Moorey. This has all the hallmarks of the classic Tim Moorey puzzle – some sportsball, some recent … Read more “Mephisto 3261 – Tim Moorey”

When tackling a puzzle like Mephisto with a new setter, one never knows quite what to expect.   As solvers, we have gotten used to the styles of the rota of solvers, and we know what tricks they are likely to use. 

Greetings barred-grid fans. And welcome Robert Teuton to the setting team for the Mephisto! The Mephisto crossword was originally set by Richard Kilner, followed by Richard Whitelegg.  I started doing the puzzle in 1996, when … Read more “Mephisto 3259 – Robert Teuton”

I found this just a little tough, and some of the wordplay is still a little vague.  But I did finish, and all my answers were correct.

Greetings, barred-grid fans. I got through this one with little fuss, though I had to check definitions of some of the shorter entries.  Tim Moorey often gives us a bit of popular culture or sport … Read more “Mephisto 3257 – Tim Moorey”

I did not find this too bad for the most part, and got pretty far in one session.   The next morning, I polished off most of the rest except for one stubborn hold-out.

Greetings, barred-grid fans. I found this one a bit tougher than the last few puzzles, particularly in terms of wordplay. In Mephisto puzzles, definitions (the most direct of which I have underlined) can be confirmed … Read more “Mephisto 3255 – Paul McKenna”

Yes, the spell checker thinks most of the answers aren’t valid words – I wouldn’t be surprised if the solvers have the same opinion.    I struggled with this one, and didn’t think I would finish, but I managed to get myself into a fully cryptic mode and work out all the answers.