Mephisto 2507 – Tim Moorey

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
In last week’s Mephisto blog, Peter suggested Mike Laws as the most difficult of Mephisto setters. I beg to differ, I find Tim Moorey with his mixture of particularly obscure words and forays into the inner reachings of biology, to be the most difficult. There’s no physiology here, but I am faced with having to guess a few of these. So welcome to the world of “the blogger is not always right”, and I await some explanations from the buffs in comments. And thanks to Tim Moorey for creating a diabolical challenge (yes, yes, I’ll buy your book when it comes out).

Edit: Peter comes through again with answers to all my questions, see first comment

Across
1 STIGME: G(olf) in S,TIME(s), the Times being the strange bedfellow of the Sun?
5 E-BOATS: B.O. in EATS. Abbreviating body odor leads to amusing surfaces
10 KOTWAL: (O,TALK)* about W, an Indian magistrate
11 C,(h)ERO(n): A type of mackerel
12 ISLINGTON: SLING in IT,ON – odd coincidence I was watching a re-run of “Prick Up Your Ears” during one of my solving sittings and heard “Islington”. Schadensomething
14 RAWHIDE: W in RAH, I’D E(astwood). I liked this clue – Clint Eastwood was in the old western TV show Rawhide, which had a memorable theme.
15 ORNISES: Anagram of S,REGIONS minus the G. Chambers defines “ornis” as “the birds collectively of a region”, but Word Wizards gives ORNISES as a real word, so I guess a term like that needs a plural
16 OWSEN: ROWS,MEN without RM (Royal Marines). My last entry, it’s a Scots term for oxen, so neat is used in its more crosswordy form
23 ISFAHAN: From the definition of the Iranian city, but I don’t exactly see the wordplay… F,AH? in IS,AN
26 SOL,PUG,A: From the wordplay, relieved to find it is a venomous animal. Looks dangerous.
28 GO,THICK: THICK meaning the same is an alternative spelling of THILK (shortening of THE ILK, like that needed contraction)
31 KOEL: reversed in odd letters of bLuE sOcKs. A new bird to me, this one has an evil red eye.
32 REGNAL: Bernhard LANGER reversed, one of two golfers to make an appearance in the puzzle
33 UN(=”An” in French),DIES(=SIDE*): fnarf
34 B,ROADS: Didn’t take the bait having BROADS next to UNDIES?
 
Down
1 SKI(p),BOB: an apline vehicle
2 TOS(=SOT<=),A: a Japanese dog
3 GWINIAD: (WADING)* around I. An unimpressive-looking whitefish.
4 (o)MANIS: Another name for the Mephisto regular, the pangolin. Anyone else feel we’re in a zoology final?
5 (b)ENT,AS IS: at least I think that’s what’s meant, taking the B out of BENT=trend
7 AEGIS,THUS: Killer of Agamemnon
9 S(O,L)ENT: I think… there’s a trading route called a Solent pass, and there’s a reference to Solent (maybe a trademark?) as a synonym for sound on this page, but I can’t find SOLENT in Chambers.
13 UNCLOTHED: (TO,LUNCH)*,ED – another fnarf moment
20 SAPSAGO: From the definition, but I’m not sure what the wordplay is. SAG in SAPO?
21 GAGAKU: (UK,A,GAG)<= nice construction
24 NAV(=VAN<=),ELS
27 LIT(t)ER: always funny to read clues that say “across the pond” while being across that proverbial pond.

7 comments on “Mephisto 2507 – Tim Moorey”

  1. 20A: Think of Julie Andrews and those Swiss kids: “One following me” is “fah” – var. spelling of Fa as in do,re,mi=me,fah

    9: Geog.: The Solent is the channel between the Isle of Wight and the mainland.

    20 SAP’S = (poor student)’s, A, go (deep in the def for go(1)) = a failure to play in Cribbage.

    Nitpick: your book link has a surplus ” in the URL.

  2. I was away when this was published and managed to catch up with it yesterday whilst keeping one eye on the Faldo strategy falling to pieces. I wondered if the references to golf and golfers was a nod in the direction of the bi-annual fest?

    I agree with your interpretations of 1A and 5D George. I also liked 14A but didn’t think you were old enough to remember Randy Yates! I think every Mephisto setter is capable of creating both the difficult and the more straightforward puzzle. Overall I think the general standard is very high and excellent value.

    1. Rawhide lived on forever in Australia as mid-afternoon reruns, but now I associate it with the Blues Brothers.

      I agree with the standard – I’m all for difficult clues with unique solutions.

  3. having only just started struggling with these puzzles I heard the reference to this compiler’s puzzles being impossible and have sat quietly with my dictionary for days!

    I managed aboiut 2 thirds of it – but every anwer had to be ground out!

    Solent was easier for a Brit.
    Broads I haven’t really grasped
    And I had Oneiros for 15 across which threw everything out
    Aegisthus – have you read that guy’s story? Not nice.

    But I’m still short of a few.

    miles3659

      1. and the immortal exchange from The Blues Brothers went:

        – So what kind of music do they have here?

        – Oh we have both kinds. Country AND Western

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