I never met Mike but I have solved all of his Mephisto crosswords and since 2008 have had the privilege to write blogs for many of them, including his excellent puzzle numbered 2,500.
He gave so many of us hours of top class entertainment. Mike wrote crosswords for The Times in the past, and was their Crossword Editor from 2000 to 2002. He also set crosswords for Games & Puzzles, The Listener (before and after the puzzle moved to The Times), The Guardian,The Sunday Telegraph (Engimatic Variations), and The Independent. As well as editing The Times crossword, Mike has edited the crossword section of Games & Puzzles and the Inquisitor crossword in the Indepedent Magazine.
This puzzle is his last Mephisto on which I shall not make any comment other than to say it was as ever scrupulously fair and interesting to solve.
We shall miss you, Mike.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | MEZZOSOPRANO – drunk=sozz-led then not conducted=sozz; verse=poem so po(sozz)em then reverse gives ME(ZZOS)OP; then managed nothing=RAN-O; of witches, bitches and britches; |
| 10 | ELEUSINIAN – (in alien use)*; mysteries of the cult of Demeter; |
| 12 | LATTICE – LAT(TIC)E; |
| 13 | ABOARD – AB(OAR)D; pole=OAR; curtailed=abridged so briefly curtailed=ABD; |
| 14 | ITALA – IT-A-LA; in the style of=A LA; translation of Christian Bible into Latin; |
| 15 | LEANED – LEA(r)NED; writing perhaps=one of the “three Rs”; |
| 16 | PEAHEN – PEA(HE)N; heraldic fur=PEAN; |
| 17 | ARRAYER – ARR-AYER; |
| 22 | ROMBERG – ROM-BERG; unfading memory=ROM; Austrian composer=BERG (Alban) 1885-1935; Sigmund ROMBERG 1887-1951 =operettist whose works include Lover, Come Back to Me from The New Moon; ; |
| 24 | GAMETE – GA(ME)TE; of sperm and eggs; |
| 25 | MIDAIR – MIDA(s)-IR; taxman=Inland Revenue=IR; |
| 27 | UTILE – (f)UTILE; |
| 28 | ORISSA – O(RI)SSA; or=ossia (music) then I leave gives OSSA; King and Emperor=RI; state by Bay of Bengal; |
| 29 | AIRTRAP – AIRT-RAP; to direct in Dundee=AIRT; to start discussion=RAP; |
| 30 | PENTATEUCH – PENT-(a chute)*; Genesis to Deuteronomy; |
| 31 | ENTREATINGLY – ENTRE(e)-A(lso)-TINGLY; |
| Down | |
| 1 | METALANGUAGE – METAL-(l)ANGU(r)-AGE; maybe silver=METAL; monkey=langur; |
| 2 | ZEDOARY – ZED-OARY; bar of metal=ZED; form of blades=OARY; forerunner to ginger still used in Indonesian curry; |
| 3 | ZUPAN – Z(UP-A)N; having success=UP; Slavic Governor; |
| 4 | OSPREY – OS-PREY; extremely large=outsize=OS; |
| 5 | ON,APPRO – O-NAP-PRO; love=zero (tennis)=O; to steal=NAP; |
| 6 | PITTIED – PI-TIED; relation=ratio of circumference of a circle to its diameter=PI (3.142); |
| 7 | RATTAN – two meanings 1=stems 2=drum beat; |
| 8 | NUCLEARISE – NU(CLEAR)ISE where NUISE=(in use)*; |
| 9 | OCEANOGRAPHY – (a=area + argo + once + hyp=endless hype)*; |
| 11 | ABERRATION – (bear)*-RATION; |
| 18 | E,RE,NATA – (s)ERENATA; as circumstances dictate; |
| 19 | SEA,SLUG – SEAS(e)-LUG(worm); stop=curtail; |
| 20 | WELTER – WELT-E(arly)-R(oses); dry=WELT; |
| 21 | ETERNE – (entree)*; |
| 23 | MIRITI – MIR-I-TI; commune=MIR; note=TI; palm tree; |
| 26 | DIZEN – DI-ZEN; old gods=DI (plural of deus); to dress up; |
25 Primrose perhaps taking drug Vi rejected? (6) – ONAGARA
Generally I have said that Mike was the most difficult of the Mephisto team, pulling out intricate wordplay for difficult words. Here is a selection of just a few of my favorite Mike Laws Mephisto clues.
Mephisto 2467
19 Homer’s around rarely — once back for type of phone (8) – CORDLESS
Mephisto 2605
5 Hairstyle of king taking part in disastrous crusades (9, two words) – DUCK’S ARSE
Mephisto 2536
20 Like a place to store books, in attempt to restrain mischievous child? (6) – SHELFY
Mephisto 2623
8 Familiar gadget in school (4) – iPOD
Mephisto 2458
31 Gray’s homed puppies, perhaps — splendid! (8) GLITTERY (the only time I’ve seen Gray to mean the unit in a crossword)
Au revoir, Mike Laws!