Mephisto 2705 – Paul McKenna

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
I found this one tricky to get going on – my usual coffee-shop start only got me a half a dozen or so entries. I came back to it on Tuesday afternoon and knocked out the rest without too many troubles. I’m rather taken with this grid too – a 12×12 with 90-degree symmetry.

Since I’m watching the replay of the 4th ODI, and based on the first few overs, I’d better write this up before I start crying.

Away we go…

Across
1 SHAWM: W in SHAM(imposture, idol)
5 COMARBS: COMB around AR, S
10 FASCIOLA: FASCIO(political group), L, A(before) – there’s that sneaky “A” which seems to creep into a lot of Paul McKenna’s Mephisto crosswords
11 LEEK: KEEL reversed. I wonder if Welshmen really do dream of leeks?
12 UNUSUALLY: UN(peacekeepers), US(e)(operation), U,S,ALLY
14 MEOW: O(over) in MEW(3rd meaning in Chambers)
16 AMULET: MULE in AT(appropriate technology)
18 NICK,A,R: the R coming from the end of youngsteR
19 WARDEN PIES: (PRAISED,NEW)* – now usually the food in Mephistos is the stuff of nightmares, but I wouldn’t mind a pie cooked with warden pears
21 OVERPRICED: RICE in an anagram of PROVIDED without ID
24 C,E,RULE
25 DAP,PER: DAP is to duck into water, and then PER(by)
27 ARGO: AGO surrounding R
29 ENGROSSED: ENG(engraving) then S in ROSE(paragon), D
30 NOMA: or NO MA. It appeared recently somewhere else, I seem to recall
31 NAIN(own),SOOK(marketplace)
32 (b)ANK,USES
33 TUFFE: FF(folios) in TUE – FF for folios was new to me, I see it can also mean “form feed” which might come in handy somewhere
 
Down
1 SFUMATO: (OF,A,TUMS)*
2 H,AVE
3 AS YOU WERE: A(American), SOU(brass) around Y,WE’RE
4 MIN,TER
5 COURT DRESS: (DOUR,CRESTS)*
6 MAUVIN: U in MAVIN
7 ALAP: A(about), then PAL(tosh – definition 3 in Chambers) reversed
8 BEL PAESE: (PLEASE,BE)* and a cheese whose existence I now of only from the Monty Python sketch
9 SKYER: K in SYE(strain), R(queen)
13 SYNEIDESIS: SYNE(then), (h)IDES, (h)IS
15 SKID(went over piste – ski trail),P,ROOF
17 MOVE IN ON: VEIN(humour) in MOON
20 STROOKE: ROOK in (SET)*
22 PLEONS: L in PEONS
23 CA,DENT
24 CRENA: ANE,R(eveal),C(canine) reversed
26 FRAU: hidden reversed in qUAR Forest
28 GO,O,F

8 comments on “Mephisto 2705 – Paul McKenna”

  1. Good middle of the road puzzle for me that gradually came together with the top proving a little harder than the bottom.

    Your question at 11A reminds me of a nightmare afternoon that I once spent at a leek judging competition. Bores come in many guises but people who grow competition leeks are in a class of their own – best avoided at almost any cost.

    1. I’m inclined to agree, though I imagine they say the same about crossword-solvers.
      1. Hello Sotira and welcome – you’re not a closet Mephisto solver are you? I don’t recall you joining in here before
    2. If you lack the basic self-preservation skills to avoid leek-judging competitions then I’m afraid you have only yourself to blame.
      I found this quite tricky: a few things I didn’t understand (such as A for before: I’ll look out for that in future) so thanks George.
  2. I see that the sensitive Oxford folk in COED have labelled Jock as ‘often offensive’ but not the hardy Scottish Chanbers folk themselves. Take it from me that my usage will be in the inoffensive camp! Mac is an alternative but I guess someone might regard that as offensive too. Anything else is likely to take up too much space (no room for long clues alas in Mephisto). I will always try to avoid causing offence, but on the otehr hand I will not necessarily yield to self-appointed political-correctness arm-twisters!
    Don Manley
    1. Hello Don and well said. If the worst thing anybody ever calls you is Jock you really have been lucky
  3. No offence intended,dear blogger, and I’d have hoped none taken, but I should have known better given the likely threshold, eh? Your alternative is fine but (believe me) clues often have to be pared down to fit the space, so (sorry!) Jock lives on! Nuff sed.
  4. I have other vehicles to alert solvers to Scots words but now and again I find that ‘Jock’ suits my clue construction ideally (it is after all both a noun and an adjective). It will appear whenever I see fit.
    (Don’s comment about clue length is well made… a clue for a Shakespearean word which uses dialectal and archaic words, for examples, in its subsidiary indication can quickly run to essay length!)
    Thank you for other comments.
    Paul McK

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