Mephisto 2559 – Paul McKenna

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
Funny coincidence that it’s my turn to blog this week, since Paul McKenna sent me this crossword a few months ago to test solve. I don’t have the original email but I have the “before” and “after” versions of the crossword. Paul pointed out that I missed a piece of subtlety in 7 down. I thought this was of medium difficulty in the Mephisto spectrum, checked a lot of answers after piecing together the wordplay. Thanks, Paul, for giving me a peek into the Mephisto at work.

Across
1 CLAM,JAM,PHR,IE: Didn’t know the word, it is in Bradfords under “rabble”
10 HARIOLATE: HARI(M) then I, LATE – divine as in predict
12 A,GAR
13 WAITE: A for H in WHITE
15 BEGOTTEN: B, (GENET,TO)*
16 TREILLE: Compound anagram of EASTER LILY minus SAY
18 (f)ILLY
20 AM,LA(d): LAD for workmate is confirmed by Chambers
21 FRIT: triple definition – the third being the one I am most familiar with, packed ground glass that can be used as a filter
22 CELL: CALL with E for A
23 KSAR: hidden word, but I needed Google to confirm ir
25 DAD,O: “a lump” is found in meaning 2 of DAD in Chambers
27 C,LIFTED
30 ETONIAN: S(kill) in ETONIAN. In my test-solve I didn’t really see the connection between CAMERON and ETONIAN, but apparently it’s David Cameron, leader of the Opposition
33 E,BOR: abbreviation for Eboracum, York
34 SOLIDAGOS: OLID in SAGOS
35 DRYSTANE DYKE: Alternative name for dry-stone dyke, anagram of AT SKYE DRYDEN, and a wa is a dyke
 
Down
1 CHANT,I,C,LEER: A bird I’m reminded of because it is the mascot of one of the schools I deal with regularly.
3 MIRK: KRI (marginalia), M reversed
4 JOE BLAKE: (ABLE)* in JOKE
6 M,ANGEL
7 (S)HEATH: and a reference to Erica Roe.
9 ICTERID: I, (DIRECT)* and I liked the definition, the Baltimore Orioles being a major-league baseball team
11 SEND TO DORSE: TOD in S,ENDORSE. A new expression to me
14 PELLETIFY: PELL (skin or hide), then (YET IF)* – to turn into pellets
17 MARINADE: AD in MARINE
19 LEISLER: IS,L in LEER (alternative for LEAR oven)
24 S,CILLA: Possibly a reference to a Jazz Butcher song
28 LAT,I,N: this was the one clue that was changed after test-solving, it was originally “Can I name a Tory in Ireland”
29 E-BOOK: hidden reversed
31 READ: switching the R and D from DEAR

5 comments on “Mephisto 2559 – Paul McKenna”

  1. I enjoyed this and thought it was a good, middle of the road Mephisto. Clearly, expertly road tested!

    I think 27 dn is a reference to Cilla Black

    Your reference to Erica Roe would have been better supported by a link to The Sun, Britain’s newspaper of choice for all matters topless

    1. I was being facetious with the Cilla Black thing – I thought I had written something similar in a Mephisto blog, but I can’t find it.

      And the funny thing was when I went on a hunt for Erica Roe pictures, the site I linked was the only one that had tried to cover up anything. Quite a change from what you would see of reports of streakers in the US (or Australia for that matter).

      1. “I was being facetious with the Cilla Black thing”

        Oh, sorry. I often miss facetious, being somewhat literal-minded myself. And I should have said 24dn, not 27 🙂

  2. No problems with this one – a standard test it appeared to me. As you had road tested it George and the previous week we had a repeat from no more than 8 weeks ago you’ve been without a new Mephisto for some time – an unfortunate coincidence.
    1. That must be why I gobbled yesterday’s up! If you’re looking for some milder-than-usual barred-grid challenges, last weekend’s Mephisto was gentle, and Azed is practically a giveaway (sorry JC).

Comments are closed.