Mephisto 2523 – Paul McKenna

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
I found this one an intriguing and challenging crossword – I solved most of it on a plane on Tuesday with no access to dictionaries or aids, at the end of that I had everything filled in on the top half (to 19 across), and then sporadic answers on the bottom half. The last few answers were some eyebrow-raisers, and I’m still not 100% on some of the wordplay (and may well be incorrect in one answer). Lots of words in the bottom half that I had never encountered before.

And as always, my queries and questions are answered in the comments, so follow through and enjoy the read!

And another addendum – sorry to Paul for originally putting Tim Moorey as the setter (the online version had Tim Moorey as the setter and Paul McKenna as the address for comments).

Across
1 CH,ASS,IS: I didn’t know it could mean a window sash (and the meaning after it in Chambers is “a woman’s body” which would have made for an even more interesting clue
6 AVO,I’D: Easy from the definition, an AVO is a hundredth of a pataca and doesn’t appear to be in circulation
10 ALLOT: TOLL,A reversed – TOLL as decoy is found under TOLE
12 RET(r)IAL: found under RETE, a network of blood vessels
13 BEGIFT: G,IF in BET
18 CADEAUX: CA,(A,DEUX)* – straightforward from the definition, CA is given in Chambers as an abbreviation for cases, hadn’t seen it before
19 STARTER HOMES: (THO,STREAMERS)* – I guess “feet on rungs” is to mean to start climbing the ladder
21 SIDESLIPPING: E,SLIP,P in SIDING nice long charade
23 SPAEMAN: from the definition – is the wordplay SPAE(=tagharim, inspiration),MAN?
27 (f)ETTLED: two new words in one, FETTLE – to make ready, ETTLE – purpose or intent
28 PETARD: (DEPART)* – as in “hoisted by one’s own” in “Hamlet”
29 W,HEEL,ED
31 ‘S,Y’R,UP: Rhyming slang, “syrup of figs”
32 REACTOR?: From definition, not sure of wordplay – CT,O in REAR?
 
Down
1 CARVES: V,E in CARS – I got this from wordplay, in Chambers it says to make amorous advances
2 ALTO: a voice low for a female but falsetto for a male
3 SOIL, CREE,P: erosion down a slope – the wordplay is the new part, to SOIL is to fatten cattle, and CREE is boiling grains to soften them
4 START: STAT around R
6 ACED: DACE with the D at the end
8 INFLUEN(ce),Z,A: nice little clue
9 DETOX: TED reversed then OX – I think we’re starting to get used to “neat” working this way
14 ANTIPATHY: AN, PIT reversed, A, THY – didn’t want to pull the trigger on this pretty direct answer until I had most of the checking letters in place
15 ICELANDER: Not sure of the wordplay is it meant to be something to do with “I slander”? Bjork is a guilty pleasure.
16 NEOPHYTIC: N,(HOPE)*,CITY reversed, more tricky wordplay
22 GIRDER: Two definitions, the tissue being human
23 SH(r)EWS: archaic spelling of SHOWS – I was expecting to see Spenser when I checked it in Chambers, but it’s not his
24 KWELA: WE,L in KA – Zulu folk music. I wonder if Paul McKenna was prompted by the recent death of Miriam Makeba?
25 YELP: L in YEP – deceptively simple, but the Y stayed unfilled for a while until I looked up “boast” in Bradford’s

10 comments on “Mephisto 2523 – Paul McKenna”

  1. Like George I got quite a lot of this without the dictionary but the rest gave Chambers a pretty good workout.

    Thanks for explaining 31 – I hadn’t heard that rhyming slang. I thought 27 was (s)ETTLED but I think your reading is correct.

    I think 15dn is I,C,ELAN(style),DER(ivative), but not sure about C for “see”.

  2. I couldn’t make much sense of 23A either at the time, but I think I’ve now cracked it!

    S (from ‘s at the end of Perth’s) + PAEAN (exultation) around M (term, i.e. end, of taghairm).

    I’m surprised no-one’s mentioned the Nina in row 9 of the grid yet! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  3. 15d I agree with kurihan, see = c in Chambers

    32a C (caught) TO (beside) in anagram (ball) of RARE

  4. THanks for all the info and explanations….. but in my paper, Mephisto 2523 was compiled by Paul McKenna, not Tim Moorey!?
  5. The mephisto “page” is permanently set, and they just click and update each week the grid, the clues.. and the setter and the setter’s contact details. Often enough one or more of these is wrong. For the online edition Tim Moorey was given as setter, but the contact details were for Paul Mckenna…

    This was the first Mephisto I have solved in one sitting for quite a while. I don’t note times but it was less than an hour and maybe a record…

  6. As George says a puzzle of two halves with the top easier than the bottom. An enjoyable solve.

    George, at 2D (alto+f+est)* gives “falsetto” so its this=the answer=alto + f=female + est gives falsetto and peut-etre is the anagrind. It’s an excellent clue, I think.

    The instructions being wrong is an ongoing scandal. I didn’t realise they were giving the wrong setter but the “send your solution to” is still showing 2517

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