Mephisto 2663 – Paul McKenna

I think I was on Paul McKenna’s wavelength here, as I solved most of this without dictionaries nearby and just needed to crib together the last few bits to finish off. Some really fun clues in here. Also a rather interesting grid – 11X13 with a practically American-style block of 3X5 in the top left and bottom right corner.

There were a few I put in without full understanding of wordplay, but as is often the case, it came to me while I was writing up the blog. So I think everything is in order.

Away we go…

Across
1 STOMPS: S(special), TOM(punk) next to PS(prompt side)
6 PIKER: K in PIER
10 NO FAIR: wonder if Obama has said that lately?
11 OJIME: hidden
12 INFRA DIG: IN FR, A DIG(poke like a joke like a joke is a joke and a poke is a poke but when you poke a bloke it’s no joke)
14 KER(b),0: short for KEROSINE
15 TIN HAT: double def, one cryptic (a hat of tins)
16 TASER: TASTER without ‘T. Didn’t know this meaning of TASTER
17 SWEETIE-PIE: W in SEE(judge) then TIE, PIE(in a state)
19 TOSS: TOSA without A, then S
21 E,POS: Electronic Point Of Sale – didn’t know gazunder as a chamberpot
22 C,RACK,B,RAIN: wow, RACK has eight meanings in Chambers!
24 ADO,B.O.
26 B.LIT,HE: I liked the graduate being something other than MA
28 LOCO: (COOL)*
30 WITBLITS: WIT then L in BITS. A South African spirit. I seem to recall it featuring in an episode of “Three Sheets” and it looked unappealing
31 EMEND: ME in END
32 MOUSIE: SI(t) in MOUE
33 GARBE: most of GARBage before E(end of TRADE)
34 BEST,AD
 
Down
1 SNIFTS: FT in SINS reversed
2 TONDI: ND in TO(for), I(investigating)
3 OFF ONE’S ROCKER: definition and two wordplays, ROCKER being a dove, and Ronnie Corbett often appearing in a big chair (don’t remember if it was a rocking chair)
4 MARCHESA: ARCH in MESA
5 PIAS: 1,A(about) in P.S.
6 POINTED: INT in POE,D
7 KINESIPATHIST: KINE(cows), SI(IS reversed), PAT, HIST(silence)
8 (d)EMURE
9 REMORAS: (MORE)* then RAS
13 STICK BY: T in SICK BAY with A(it) gone
18 PERIPLUS: (SUPPLIER)*
19 T,HA,W,L,EG: HA for hac anno was new to me
20 ECOCIDE: CO in EC then IDE(a)
23 NEESED: N then sounds like EASED
25 DOGMA: DO then MAG with the G on the top
27 HUT,I,A
29 O.B.,O,E

One comment on “Mephisto 2663 – Paul McKenna”

  1. For me this was one of Paul’s occasional crosswords where the wordplays are more obscure than the definitions and take some time deciphering after the answers are all in place.

    I was baffled by the reference to milk production at 28ac – as far as I can see, loco weed has no beneficial effects. Am I missing something?

    John

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