Mephisto 2476 – Mike Laws – THAT problem!

Author   the_odPosted on Categories Mephisto

Solving time: about 1hr 30m                                 

Tough puzzle.  This took me 3 sittings to complete, and after sittings 1 and 2 I had gone away scratching my head over a few things – also hindered by what I believe are a couple of errors THAT certainly did not help! (5dn & 7dn).  So a fair sense of achievement in completing this one – I found the right hand side of the grid very tricky.

Across

1

QUAESTOR (TORQUEmadAS*) – I knew this word but it took me ages to spot that MAD (=cracked) was being subtracted from TORQUEMADA to provide the anagram fodder – nice clue.

7

TRUE (TRUCE minus C) – does TRUE mean comfortable? – or is this another error?  Maybe it was meant to be “conformable”.

10

DIDDLY-SQUAT (“DIDDLEY” + SQUAT) – the old chestnut “does Bo = Diddley?”, but I suppose there aren’t that many other famous Bos (Derek maybe?).

11

ANODIC (ANd + ODIC)

12

PANDA (i.e. P AND A = PA) – I could guess what was needed here, but had to get PANDA before realizing that PA was the other DAD required.

15

ROENTGEN (EN in ROTa + GEN) – tricky wordplay – “not a course” for ROTA minus A was devilish!

19

ATRIA (AT + AIR rev.) – unusual linking phrase here – “by means of” – the wordplay being “playing” = AT + “revolutionary tune” = AIR.

20

TURRET (2 defs.) – TERRET was known to me – I did not know the alternative TURRET.

21

THOMAS (THO + MASh) – took me a long time to spot the wordplay – THO being short for “though”, and MASH = flirt was new to me.

28

PROXIMO (OX in PRIMO)

32

EXTEND (tEXT + END) – actually quite straightforward wordplay, but for some reason took me ages to get!

33

PHILANDERER (LANDER in PHI + ER)

34

DYER (“DIRE”)

 

Down

2

UINTATHERE (AUNTIe* + THERE) – I had come across UINATITE before but not this –THERE ending.

5

TYCOON – I don’t think this clue works.  Perhaps it should be “Magnate that turned up with thief” giving YT rev. + COON.

6

OSTENT (STEN in OT) – the OT element was obvious but I struggled with the rest of this clue!

7

TUATH – another problem with THAT!  I presume the clue was meant to read “Irish people that fussed about uniform” giving U in THAT*.  Somewhere along the line THAT has been “corrected” to “who”.

9

EMANATION (EMmA + ANTION)

13

DETERMINER (i.e. DETER MINER) – this time THAT’s left in thankfully. THAT is an example of a DETERMINER.

14

SCATTERED (SHATTERED with C for H)

17

MAAM (AA in MM) – the short space being a millimeter.

18

AUTO (2 defs.) – not Abraham but this Lincoln.

26

RIVERA (RIVIERA minus I) – the muralist was new to me.

27

ASTIR (STAIR with A going up)

30

STEW (2 defs.)

 

 

 

2 comments on “Mephisto 2476 – Mike Laws – THAT problem!”

  1. I was feeling pretty good about this one until I checked with the blog (nice explanations) and saw I had left “osient” as a made up poet, from when I was sure the central letters were mien. D’oh!

    Come on crossword club, where is 2477?

  2. I printed this out yesterday thinking it was this week’s, and therefore my turn to blog, so I was quite dismayed when I got totally stuck on the top right corner! I had FIDDLESTICK for 10, which could also be “heard Bo” and also means “nothing at all”. I thought 5 had to be TYCOON, but couldn’t work out why – same goes for ROENTGEN, and I would probably have got TUATH with “that” in the clue. Glad it wasn’t my turn after all!

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