Mephisto 2706 by Don Manley – Rioters in Drag and a Crosseyed Lion

Nothing too dificult here with the first two across clues quite easy – which gives the solver a real kickstart.

Across
1 CRAVAT – C(RAV)AT; teacher=RAV; as worn by upper class cads like Edward V111;
6 BREEKS – B-REEKS; trousers in Troon;
11 REBECCAITE – REBEC-C(A)ITE; old instrument=REBEC; cross-dressing tax rioter with daffodil presumably;
12 ARAROBA – A(RA)ROBA; carriage=AROBA; also known as Goa powder;
13 SPARRE – SPARRE(d); old word for spar;
14 LEGER – two meanings;
15 DRICE – D-RICE; grass=RICE (one of many); contraction of dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide);
18 ORATE – O(RAT)E; o(n)e empty = OE;
20 TANREC – TAN-REC; a hedgehog from Madagascar;
21 BANANA – BAN-ANA;
23 DEBAR – (bread)*;
26 REIKI – hidden (pleasu)RE-I-KI(ss); massage in Mio City;
28 LAVAL – AVAL reversed – L; the largest suburb of Montreal;
29 SCHLEP – SCH-L-EP; (old) record=EP; Yiddish for a dawk;
31 ITERANT – (r)ITE-RANT;
32 DISCLOSURE – DISC-LO-SURE;
33 ERGATE – (wat)ERGATE; reference Wat Tyler; a worker ant;
34 PROSER – PROS(p)ER;
 
Down
1 CRISTOBALITE – (trace it boils)*; a polymorph of silica;
2 REAPER – REAP(p)E(a)R;
3 ABRADANT – A-BRAD-AN-(rus)T;
4 VEER – V-EER;
5 ACARI – I-RACA all reversed; worthless=RACA;
6 BARBETTE – point=BARB; gun mounting used on warships;
7 RIALS – RI(v)ALS;
8 ETRENNE – ET-RENNE(t); a New Year’s gift (piece of coal?);
9 KEBELE – KEB(E)LE; John Keble 1792-1866; a neighbourhood in Ethiopia;
10 SHARECROPPER – SHOPPER contains (carer)*;
16 CLARENCE – CLARE-N(i)CE; a carriage better known as a growler and a cross-eyed lion in Daktari;
17 ORBILIUS – OR-BILI(o)US; the original Wackford Squeers according to Horace; good clue;
19 TALARIA – T-ALA-AIR reversed; classical wings=ALA; Hermes wings;
22 ACATER – (cream tea minus me)*; Mistress Quickly no doubt;
24 A,TERRE – AT(ERR)E; on terra firma in Toulouse;
25 PLAST – (schle)P-LAST; old word for place;
27 ICHOR – ICH-OR; Devonian I=ch=ICH;ethereal fluid that is the Greek gods’ blood;
30 HUSO – HU(ge)-SO; the great sturgeon;

5 comments on “Mephisto 2706 by Don Manley – Rioters in Drag and a Crosseyed Lion”

  1. I found this pretty straightforward, running through it quite steadily while simultaneously watching Andy Murray’s agony and roasting a chicken. The only one I couldn’t parse was REBECCAITE, so thanks for that.
    There was an obscure sturgeon in Azed too. Funny that.
  2. Think that should be dork Jim. And it’s not even a homophone, except possibly to London lads like us 😉
  3. Sorry to repeat myself 🙁 Couldn’t see the first comment when I revisited the site.

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