The first thing I noticed about this puzzle is the 13×11 grid rather than the 12×12 we are used to. During the week we learned that there are new grids for the Times daily so perhaps that will extend to Mephisto.
This puzzle is below average difficulty (about 35 minutes to solve) although I was helped by knowing the maths and science. Unusually it contains some Cartesian mathematics, some astrophysics and some organic chemistry. Wow! The mis-named Olber’s Paradox (it owes more to Digges and Kepler) should be known to anybody who has studied Big Bang Theory but may have presented a problem to others.
I have one query. At 23A Chambers does not support “agism” but I did find it in American references. For new solvers (C) = Chambers used to verify part of a clue
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | ABSCISSAE – A-BSC-I-S-SAE; S=special; SAE=stamped addressed envelope=enclosure; some Cartesian mathematics! If you want to understand this try Cartesian Coordinates under “notations” (or to just verify the answer see abscind in Chambers); |
| 8 | SEPS – SE(en)-SP reversed; SP=species; the serpent-lizard (also a snake by the way); |
| 12 | JOCKSTRAP – JOCK’S-TRAP; JOCK=a Scot; TRAP=surprising plan; storage facility for the family jewels; |
| 13 | ALEUT – ALE-UT; do=UT; much put upon people from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska; |
| 14 | MONTEITH – MONT(TIE reversed)H; Jan=January=MONTH; colourful Glaswegian handkerchief; C; |
| 15 | CANNAE – two meanings 1=can’t in Culloden 2=famous battle in which Hannibal outsmarted the Roman army in 216BC; |
| 18 | RUTTY – RUT-(ci)TY; RUT=sexual excitement; two of my abiding memories of Pompeii are the closeness of Vesuvius and the rutted nature of the streets; |
| 19 | ORARIAN – OR-ARIAN; OR=Ordinary Ranks=men; ARIAN=somebody born under the sign of Aries, known as “Aries individuals”; |
| 20 | OLBERS,PARADOX – (pro boxer salad)*; precursor of the big bang theory of the origin of the universe; see the sky at night for details; |
| 21 | CHORDEE – CHOR(d)-DEE; set of notes=chord; embarrassing medical condition described in the old limerick the young man from Ghent ; C; |
| 23 | AGISM – A(GIS)M; AM=American; GI=American serviceman; C spells this “ageism” but US dictionary Farlex gives AGISM; |
| 26 | TRENTO – T(RENT)O; near=TO; opening=RENT; North Italian City with a violent past, now enjoying some autonomy from Central Government which is reflected in the high quality of life reported there; |
| 27 | COLORADO – COL-O-(road)*; pass=COL; ring=O; the Centennial State known for its magnificent scenery and the relatively high probability its citizens enjoy of being struck by lightening; |
| 28 | TWEET – T-WEE-T; little=WEE; time=T; all following tango=T (phoenetic alphabet); note from flier is the definition; |
| 29 | LIBRAIRIE – LIBRA-IR-IE; sign=LIBRA; that’s=IE; Irish=IR;84 Charing Cross Road, perhaps; |
| 30 | EDGE – hidden word (train)ED GE(rmans); |
| 31 | QUARRYSAP – QUARRYS-AP; apparently=AP; water in the pores of newly quarried stone (or a miner of pyrites, perhaps); C; |
| Down | |
| 2 | BELAU – (able)*-U; U=uranium; proper name Palau, a Pacific island republic south of Tokyo; |
| 3 | SCENT,BOX – (a)SCENT-BOX; a=adult; tree=BOX; |
| 4 | COUNTERBORE – COUNTER-BORE; bar=COUNTER; supported=BORE; widening of a bore hole (or a member of the shadow cabinet?); C; |
| 5 | SOMERSET – SO(MERSE)T; marsh in Scotland=MERSE; old fool=SOT; occasional spelling of somersault; |
| 6 | SCOLOPENDRA – SCOL(l)OP-END-RA(n); scollop-2=rod; aim=END; managed=ran; a fabulous fish (also the name of a large rather unpleasant centipede); C; |
| 7 | ESTH – ESTH(etes); esthetes=US spelling of aesthete=Clement Greenberg for example; an Estonian; |
| 8 | STEERAGE,WAY – (see tar)*-GE(t)-(a)WAY: t and a=t(his) a(las) at first; nice clue; |
| 9 | PATNA – PAT-AN reversed; not likely to be improved=(have off) PAT; one=AN; type of rice; |
| 10 | SPHINX,MOTH – (stop minx + HH=His Highness)*; fast flying moth mentioned by Poe in The Sphinx; |
| 11 | MACROCYCLE – MA(CROC-Y)CLE; reptile=CROC; unknown=Y (more maths); dark spot=MACLE; more science! An organic molecule composed of a ring of seven or more atoms; |
| 16 | GRATTOIR – GRAT(e)-TO(I)R; jar=grate; hill=TOR; a flint scraper; C; |
| 17 | TIDINESS – TI(DINE-S)S; TIS=sit up; indoors=containment indicator; |
| 22 | HYOID – H-YO-I-D(og); Henry=H (electro-physics); greeting=YO (Blair); the forensically significant bone in the throat; |
| 24 | STELA – STEL(l)A; Stella=star (see names section in C); l=line; a stone tablet (see stele in C); |
| 25 | IRAQ – IRA-Q(uartered); |
Today’s Mephisto has a strange feeling of deja vu….
13×11 grids often used by AZED and Spectator likes 14×14. I guess what type of grid is available is more of interest to setter rather than solver.
I had a question mark next to cannae because I hadn’t heard of the battle. but apart from this, it was pretty straightforward, right half practically filled itself in.
I get a week off too! I usually print on a Saturday evening so it’s there for me to solve if I wake up on Sunday. I didn’t realise it was the wrong puzzle until I came here the next week to check answers.
I’m not quite sure about 6dn. The heart of SCOLLOP isn’t, as apparently intended, LL.
This breaks down scollop (2nd meaning)=flexible wooden rod. Then remove one of the “l” to make it “half hearted” gives SCOLOP; aim=END; managed=ran then change that to RA to give “almost ran”. Put it all together and you get SCOLOPENDRA.
My print out from the website gives Tim Moorey as author. I suspect the paper is more likely to be correct so may well be Mike Laws
What did you make of “agist”?