Mephisto 2565 by Paul McKenna

I’m pleased to say that this puzzle was harder than its predecessor. Having said that, it wasn’t particularly difficult either (and neither is today’s).

Three of the long 12 letter lights were very straightforward. 27A is a nice clue but solvable straight from the definition “can”. 5D is an easy anagram with “ones legs” leaping off the page. 7D is rather weak and obvious. That only leaves 15A needing checking letters to assist solving. With 5D in place the strategically placed “F” positions “FF” and combined with “gratis” for “free” leads quickly to the answer to 1A. The whole thing really flows from there and I experienced no hold-ups along the way, solving left to right top to bottom.

Across
1	GRAFFITIST – GRA(FF-I)TIS-T; very loud=fortissimo=FF; one=I; free=GRATIS; time=T; Marcus Banksyus perhaps;
11	CAGE – C(ollapse)-AGE; dialect (= in some places) for drey;
12	MENTHOL – MEN-THOL(e); thole-2=suffer; mint based mild analgesic found in cough medicines;
13	STAWED – (wasted)*; staw=Scots form of stall-1=to surfeit; nice clue;
14	ATHENA – AT(HEN)A; lassie=HEN; Air Transport Auxiliary=ATA; mythical woman of wisdom;
15	SITTLICHKEIT – (thickest I lit)*; up=anagrind; Hegel’s concept of ethical life; tricky anagram;
19	AGAIN – A-GA(I)N(g);
21	CIPOLIN – NIL-O-PIC all reversed; nothing=Nil; zilch=nothing=O; photo=PIC; marble;
22	COLLEEN – COL-LEE-N; depression=COL; tranquillity=LEE; noon=N; Maureen O’Hara in The Quiet Man;
23	INCAN – IN(C-A)N; caught=C (cricket); answer=A; Tupac Amaru perhaps;
27	SMALLEST,ROOM – (morals + motels)*; can=toilet=definition; great clue;
28	ABUSER – A-B-USER; born=B; junkie=USER;
29	DUENNA – DU-(ANNE reversed); Dutch=DU; Barry Fitzgerald in The Quiet Man;
30	WANIGAN – WAN-I-(NAG reversed); a storage chest used by lumberjacks;
31	SUCH – S(U)CH; SMS=texting service where you=U; school=SCH; “so” is definition;
32	DISTRESSED – DI(STRESS)ED;
Down
2	RATIO – (TAR reversed)-IO(u); Jack=TAR; curt=short; rare (no indication) word for allowance;
3	AGATE – AGA-TE; cooker=AGA; note=TE; AGATE-2=dialect (no indication) for on the way;
4	FEWTRILS – (trifles + W=with)*; nuts=anagrind; dialect (no indication) for little things; nice clue;
5	FEEL,ONES,LEGS – (geese on fells)*; shot=anagrind; easy anagram;
6	TEACHING – TEA-CH-IN-G; char=TEA; clearing house=CH; grand ($1,000)=G a la Bogart, Cagney, Robinson;
7	IN,THE,PICTURE – two definitions 1=genned up 2=weak cryptic reference to photographer (shutterbug);
8	THEEK – THE-(ouri)E-(kir)K; to thatch (= cover with heather) in Inverness;
9	CONIDIA – (medication – met)*; fungal spores that I learn from Wiki we breath in at the rate of 40 an hour;
10	PLATANNA – PLAT-ANNA; braided material=PLAT; ANNA=God has favoured me; an African frog;
16	HACKSAWN – HACK’S-AWN; journo=journalist=HACK; beard=AWN;
17	SCELERAT – (clearest)*; Moriarty – elementary my dear Watson;
18	CONGRESS – C-ON-G-RES-S; C=$100; assigned to=ON; German=G; research=RES; section=S; commerce=old word for sexual intercourse=CONGRESS;
20	GOOMBAH – GOO-MBA-H; sentimentality=GOO; hard=H; Don Vito Corleone perhaps;
24	MAUND – three meanings; MAUND-3=beg; MAUND-1=basket; MAUND-2=measure of weight being up to 85lb;
25	BONUS – B(ig)-ONUS; no mention of banker’s irresponsibility, rather bribe is the definition;
26	BONCE – BO(u)NCE; bounce-2=dogfish; nana-2=head=bonce;