Mephisto 2602 by Mike Laws

An interesting puzzle of average difficulty graced by no less than two famous scientists and a well known catalyst. I’m really starting to believe that setters of both these and the daily puzzles are exploring the world of maths and science far more than they once did. Throw in a fashion designer, an Olympic runner and a separatist movement and we have a very cosmopolitan offering. About 50 minutes to solve with no real tough spots.

Across
1	ANCLE – A-(u)NCLE; carved=cut; old word for ankle;
5	SPADEFUL – (fuels)* surrounds PAD=platform;
12	TULIP-EARED – TU-LI(PEAR)ED; Fido’s ears when the dog biscuits are rattled;
13	PLATINUM,BLACK – PL(A-TIN)UMB-LACK; sound=PLUMB; amateur=A; can=TIN; anticipating=placed before;a catalytic powder;
15	PLAYABLE – PLAYA-BLE(w); blow=destroy (by using explosives); Rachmaninov Second Piano Concerto as against his Third, perhaps;
16	ANDREW – AN-DREW; old word for “if”=AN; ANDREW means “manly” so the slightly weak definition “man” may be a typo;
19	COE – reference Glen Coe of 1692 massacre fame and Sebastian Coe, retired Olympic runner and Chelsea football fan;
20	GREYISH – (ERG reversed)-Y-I’S-H; unit of work=erg; YH from Y(outh) H(ostels); possibly getting on (ageing) is definition;
23	ETA – Greek letter and Basque separatist movement;
26	PEARCE – PE-(care)*; exercises=PE=Physical Education; Spenser for pierce;
27	ASTRAGAL – ASTRA-GAL(a); architectural moulding found on columns;
28	WHITE,ELEPHANT – WHITE-(the plan + E)*; E from E(nglish); after working my way through Alekhine to Xie via Deep Blue I realised the chess player is just WHITE; The Millennium Dome, perhaps;
29	TANTALISER – ANT=worker surrounded by (realist)*; furious is anagrind;
30	DEEPNESS – (PEED reversed)-NESS; had water=urinated=peed; Loch Ness is nearly as famous for its depth as it is for Nessie;
31	ESTRO – E-(ORTS reversed); fragments=ORTS; the height of poetic inspiration – The Tay Bridge Disaster by William McGonagall, no doubt;
Down
1	AT,PEACE – A(T(ake)-PEA)CE; pulse=PEA; not at war;
2	CLANDESTINE – CLAN-DESTINE; clique=CLAN (the MacDonalds at Glen Coe?);
3	LITURGY – LIT-URGY; settled=LIT; put forward=urge then change the final “e” to “y”=year;
4	EPIMER – EP-I’M-(RE reversed); (old) record=extended player=EP; about=RE; various sugars for example;
6	PAULI – PAUL-I; reference “rob Peter to pay Paul”; current=I (electricity); Wolfgang Pauli 1900-1958 pioneer theoretical physicist in quantum physics, nominated by Einstein he received the Nobel Prize in 1945;
7	ARMANI – ARM-ANI; Armenian=ARM; cuckoo=ANI; Giorgio Armani, fashion designer and banner of skeletal models;
8	DEBYE – DE-BYE; extra=BYE (cricket); our second Nobel Prize winner (1936 in Chemistry rather than Physics) Peter Debye 1884-1966 creator of the Debye Model;
9	FLABBERGAST – F(LAB-BERG)AST; research facility=LAB; hill=BERG;
10	UNCLUTCH – (cut lunch)*;
11	LOKE – LO-KE(a); old word for see=LO; parrot=KEA; Australian=A; a narrow lane (for pedestrians rather than through roadworks);
14	SNOWSHOE – S(NOW)S-HOE; present=NOW; son=S; garden=HOE (the weeds); fast running, long jumping, North American rabbit also known as the snowshoe hare;
17	RHACHIS – (crash + H + I)*; H from H(eavy); I from I(mpact);the spine or axis of for example a feather;
18	MAESTRO – (more as)* surrounds T=tenor; simon Rattle, perhaps;
21	EUGENE – EU-GENE; economic association=EU; embarrassment=GENE; the Greek name means “well born” (see C names section);
22	SEMPLE – SE(MP)LE; good fortune=seel=SELE; a cottar from Callander;
24	PAEAN – PA(EA)N; yield=PAN; each=EA; a song of praise;
25	SALTS – two meanings 1=wits 2=sailors;
27	AWED – A-WED; American=A; joined=WED;