Mephisto 2668 by Tim Moorey

Author   dorsetjimboPosted on Categories Mephisto
A rather easy Mephisto a great deal of which requires no reference to Chambers

Across
1 AGNAME – A-G-NAME; Gabon=G; advanced=A; state=NAME; handle=(slang) name;
5 TUSCAN – corporation=TU(m) then substitute SCAN=survey for m=piece of m(ockery);
9 MASTERSTROKE – M-AS-T(h)E-R-STROKE; for instance=AS; R=(mothe)R’s end; madam=M; butterfly=STROKE (swimming);
11 FITTED,UP – F-(puttied)*; fine=F; slang for framed (for a crime);
12 ALOES – AL(O)E-S; special=S;
13 RED,SEA – put in order=RED; river SEA=The Amazon;
14 PICRA – PIC-RA; image=PIC; gunners=Royal Artillery=RA;
17 INOPINATE – (case in point minus cs=civil service)*; old word for unexpected;
18 STANDGALE – put up with=STAND; the Kestrel;
22 RELIE – RELIE(f);
23 ISOPOD – (poisoned without ne=old word for not)*;
24 Q-SORT – question=Q; old word for a lot=SORT; methodology for assessing personality traits;
26 TARRAGON – T-AR(R)AGON; the=T; recipe=R; ARAGON is the automomous region of NE Spain that produced Catherine;
27 TOURBILLIONS – TOUR-BILLIONS;
28 OSMOSE – (some so)*;
29 ENNAGE – EN(NAG)E; even=e’en=ENE;
 
Down
1 AMLA – A-ML-A; miles=ML in remote parts of A(fric)A;
2 GALLIOTS – GAL(TOIL reversed)S;
3 ATHERINE – (c)ATHERINE; of Aragon perhaps, a lady who was involved in events that changed the course of history;
4 ERINGO – E-RINGO; English=E; drummer=RINGO (Starr) of The Beatles; old word for sweet;
5 T-STRAP – PART-S(hor)T all reversed;
6 UTTER – (n)UTTER;
7 CODSWALLOP – COD-S-WALLOP; special=S;
8 NEPALESE – NE(PALES)E(d); mister=need;
10 COCKALORUM – COCK-A-LO-RUM; chicken=COCK; odd=RUM;
14 PESHITTO – (tophet is)*; Syriac translation;
15 SNEESHIN – S(SEEN reversed)HIN; mount=SHIN (up);
16 ATTIRING – A-T-TIRING;
19 GADGIE – GAD-GIE; wandering=GAD; karate costume=GIE;
20 ANKOLE – ANK(O)LE;
21 DOABS – D-O-ABS; dead=D; ordinary=O; sailors=ABS;
25 TOSE – (defunc)T-(p)OSE; to card, to comb;

7 comments on “Mephisto 2668 by Tim Moorey”

  2. Didn’t find anything too tricky here, excellent wordplay as usual to the really odd words, though there’s a few that have popped up before (AGNAME, TOSE).

    Completely off topic but I’m watching the cricket from South Africa while working on today’s Mephisto. Who let an entire brass band into the ground, will they ever shut up, and how can they play trumpets and trombones non-stop for six hours! Those crazy South Africans.

  3. Thank you for the blog – I didn’t get the time to finish this and had the NE corner unfinished apart from MASTERSTROKE which seems to be a rare &lit in Mephisto land?

    Learned GALLIOT from recently reading “The Riddle of the Sands” – the fact that sandbanks off the Dutch coast were of strategic importance shows how local in nature WW1 was. Erskine Childers had a remarkable life and even more remarkable death, shaking the hand of every member of his firing squad!.

    In 27ac should “number” have read “numbers”?

    1. Yes, I should have said MASTERSTROKE is “and lit”

      I think either the singulasr or the plural would be correct for “number/s” and certainly doesn’t affect solving – particularly if you’ve met these catherine wheels before (another Catherine I’ve just realised!)

  4. I’ve only just managed to have a look at this blog with my solution to hand. Late as it is, just wanted to say thank you for explaining MASTERSTROKE, RED SEA and GADGIE, which I couldn’t figure out.
    No time even to look at the puzzle this week. These things are very rewarding but they take up so much time.
    1. I had the same problem when I was working. I used to save them up and go on holiday with a great pile of them – not always with the approval of she who must!
      1. I have four young children so holidays are possibly the worst time of all for doing these things… give it another twenty years…

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