Once again this puzzle was not avaialable on the Times crossword site on Sunday and I had to get it by Googling “Times Mephisto 2520”. The fact that it then appeared means it was set up but not indexed, which is just sloppy. The instructions for submitting the puzzle say post it to “Mephisto 2517” and it is quite common for these directions to remain unaltered for week upon week. These instructions have still not been changed for 2521. All in all this shows a poor attitude towards providing even the reasonable level of service we who pay are entitled to receive.
This is a nice, fun puzzle of average difficulty. 15A, 27A and 7D have giveaway definitions (15A especially) and that gets the puzzle off to a good start. I love 22A which made me chuckle in appreciation. I can’t quite fathom out the definition in 17D. For new solvers (C) = Chambers used to verify part of a clue (S) = starter clue (see tips and tricks on this site)
As this is the last Mephisto blog before the mid-winter/mid-summer festivities may I wish compliments of the season to setters and solvers alike.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | LEADARMING – LEAD(A-RM)ING; A=Australian; bootee=Royal Marine=RM; LEADING=old printing term for vertical space caused by lead separating lines of type (see lead-2 in C); seafaring term for tallow placed in a sounding lead (also lead-2); |
| 11 | IMPI – I-MP-I; redcap=military policeman=MP; I=independent; I=island; zulu warriors; (S) |
| 12 | MANTOVA – (NAM reversed)-TO-V-A; NAM=nim=take; V=see; Mantua in English is in Lombardy; nice clue (C) |
| 13 | QUITCH – two meanings; 1=couch grass; 2=quich, Spencerian (=as before) for move (C); |
| 14 | CTENES – C(our)T-(seen)*; comb-like swimming organisms; (C) (S) |
| 15 | PROTOMARTYRS – (mr s to portray)*; the first Christian martyrs in each country (St Alban in the UK). In the singular it means St Stepen the first one anywhere; a real definition giveaway if you know of the word; |
| 19 | AMEBA – hidden word (bec)AME BA(ndits); US (=San Quentin) spelling of amoeba; (C) (S) |
| 21 | NONSKID – (comedia)N-ON-S-KID; |
| 22 | RONALDO – (or lad on)*; pitch is anagrind; Cristiano Ronaldo, mercurial Portugese footballer; nice clue; (S) |
| 23 | STONE – compound clue; rag-2=STONE; ST+ONE; STONE(d)=drunk; |
| 27 | UNCHARITABLE – UN(CHAR)IT-ABLE; ABLE=Waggledagger warrant; another easy definition; (C) |
| 28 | FLAUNT – FL-AUNT; FL=floor; AUNT=obsolete (in Globe=Waggledagger theatre) term for an old woman; |
| 29 | PINOLE – PIN(h)OLE; ground corn and milk; (C) (S) |
| 30 | FIREDOG – FIRE-DOG; wind up=FIRE; DOG=slang for ostentation; |
| 31 | GIES – two meanings; 1=Scots (Rab C Nesbitt) for gives; 2=judo outfits; (C) |
| 32 | TWOWHEELER – (we row lethe)*; the Lethe is one of the rivers of Hades; |
| Down | |
| 2 | EMURE – (d)EMURE; yet more Waggledagger=immure=wall; (C) |
| 3 | APIOL – (pa+oil)*; substance derived from parsley seeds used to induce abortion (hardly a medicine?); |
| 4 | DITTY,BAG – D(IT-T-Y-B)AG; T(est) Y(our) B(rawn); DAG=a pistol; a sailor’s bag; (C) |
| 5 | ARCO,SALTANDO – (coloradan sat)*; hunting=ransacking=anagrind; musical term for “with rebounding bow”; (C) |
| 6 | MACAROON – M(A-CAR)OON; (S) |
| 7 | INTRANSITIVE – (vii is entrant)*; harry is anagrind; easy definition; |
| 8 | GONYS – GONY-S; bony=lean then make “b” into “g”; S=section; a ridge in the lower mandible; (C) |
| 9 | AVERTIN – AVERTIN(g); tradename for tribromoethanol – an anaesthetic; (C) (S) |
| 10 | PASSADES – PAS(SAD-E)S; happen=PASS; E=bit of embolus; a term used in dressage – not food for roses; nice clue (C) |
| 16 | EARMUFFS – EAR-MUFFS; EAR=plough=till; lug=slang for the ear; (C) |
| 17 | UNDERTOW – (countrywide without icy)*; journeys is presumably the anagrind; an UNDERTOW is the recoil of a wave; not quite sure how the definition works; |
| 18 | ESTRANGE – EST-RANGE; estimate=EST; (S) |
| 20 | MOONLIT – (o+milton)*; O=start of ode; Selene was the moon deity in Greek mythology; (S) |
| 24 | SCART – two meanings; 1=stroke of a pen; 2=skart, a Scots cormorant; (C) |
| 25 | ABOIL – AB-OIL; AB=Able Bodied Seaman; OIL=Oz (Perth) for news; seething; |
| 26 | ALLEE – ALL-E-E; E=eccentricity (maths); French path; (S) |
As you say this was relatively straightforward and didn’t need a lot of reference to the dictionary (except for subsequent analysis).
Like you I was puzzled at 17dn – the only way I can see it is that “possibly icy recoil” is the definition as well as being part of the word play. It seems odd but…
I notice that 2521 appeared early Sunday morning, first time for some weeks, hopefully our various comments have helped achieve a result 🙂