Mephisto 2711 – Paul McKenna – placeholder

Ooops, just realized it’s my turn to post it and I haven’t even solved it yet, busy week. This should appear late Sunday or Monday. Feel free to discuss, and sorry Paul!

Thanks for your patience… I usually try to get this written in advance when I’m heading out of town, but sometimes things sneak up on me. This took a little while to get a handle on, but once a few key entries were in, the rest of the grid came together nicely. Still a little iffy on a few wordplay elements, but hopefully they will work themselves out while I write this up.

Away we go…

Across
1	AZTEC TWO-STEP: Z(zero) in (WE COP AT TEST)*
10	SCRAN(grub=food),CH
11	BUD,GE(ts)
12	PLATE(gild),AU
13	S,KELP: “wrack” as “seaweed cast ashore” was new to me
17	REPEAT: REP(one traditionally on the road) beside EAT(put away)
18	MULETA: I think this is MULE and then TAB(drug, like a tab of LSD) with the last letter removed
19	NAINSEL: (INN’S,ALE)*
21	RAVEL: double def
22	A,R,NUT
23	SEAM,ARK: don’t see the connection to Trinity House
24	GO(success),G(end of makinG),LET(cancelled service in tennis)
25	SN(according to nature),1,PES(foot)
29	PILAU: hidden
30	ECOCIDE: anagram of DEMOCRACIES – ARMS
31	IN ALL – reverse of ALL IN
32	PAJOCKE: A,J in POCKET(t)
33	EGGS BENEDICT? At least I think so – it fits the enumeration and difnition, but I’m stuck on wordplay here
Down
1	(g)ASPER
2	TRAP(fault),P(piano),IN,G,S
3	EAT,H: here MESS is being used as a verb
4	T-CART: C in TART – TART as someone who changes their mind regularly was a new one to me
5	W,HUM,MLE: the last part is ELM reversed. Also had to verify HUM as meaning HOAX
6	OBSCURANT: (COURT’S,BAN)
7	SUKH: reverse KH and US(we, turned over)
8	EG,LATE,RES
9	PEP TAKE: (PAL,KEPT)*
14	SEAR(catch),O,
15	TASTE BULB: the first part is
16	CEVAPCICI: (rickety,CIVIC)
19	NAG(find fault with),A,PIE(spoil)
20	EST,RE,PE
25	SIC,AN: SIC =n such in Scots
26	SWEET: sounds like SUITE
27	SALS: at least I think so from the definition. Not sure how the wordplay works here
28	E,COD