Mephisto 2713 – Tim Moorey

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
It was a pretty busy week for me this past week, and I didn’t get around to this Mephisto until Saturday. Fortunately nothing on this one held me up too much, and there were a few answers (such as 24 across) that I was quite familiar with.

I got started on the bottom of this one and worked my way up. I am curious to see if I have 8 down correct, I can’t see any other possibility, but I’ve been known to be wrong on more than one occasion.

That was cleared up during the blog, so my only query is on 26 down

Away we go…

Across
3 SCAREDY-CAT: (CARD,YES,AT,C)*
9 ORACLE: O(nion) then L(amb) in RACE(stock)
10 ERGO,N: Greek term for work
12 MOLA: double definition
13 PAL,IS,A,D,O(lympic)
15 EATCHE: anagram of MACHETE without M
17 BANSELA: Tricky clue – N(end of African) in BASE then L(enasi)A and an all-in-one
19 TIGS: double def – this one raised a smile thinking of TIG in playground games
20 BAROTSES: (0,BREASTS)*
22 1,SO(provided),TYPES(stamps)
24/td> IMAP: A in IMP – you’ll sometimes find it if you show the full headers of email
25 BHISTEE: (THIS)* in BEE(like spelling BEE)
30 RIGHT-O: take the borders(marches) off of BRIGHTON
31 EPINOSIC: NOS,I in EPIC
32 FARD: (dio)R in FAD
33 ASS,AI
34 CHORE,E: the second E coming from the end of ONE
35 AN(y),H,ELATION
 
Down
1 COMESTIBLES: COMES then (TABLE,IS)* without the A
2 BROADISH: ROAD in BISH
3 SALT(rating),0: if you’re new at these, file away rating=seaman, it’ll be back
4 ALPHA: sounds like ALFA and the definition is just the A at the start of the clue
5 EELFARE: FEEL without the F, then sounds like FAIR
6 DRIB: BIRD reversed – steal as in to move slowly and stealthily
7 COAXES: AXE in COS
8 ANDY: Just got the wordplay as I was writing the blog, it’s HANDY without the first letter. Reference ANDY CAPP which I remember being a mainstay in the Age newspaper in Melbourne in the 70s and 80s/td>
11 BOG ASPHODEL: anagram of BLASPHEMED O GOD without ME,D
14 SISTING: IS reversed(preposterous), STING
16 CAST,SON
18 LEAD TREE: LEAD then RE in TE(note)
21 APEPSIA: PEP in ASIA
23 OIRISH: hidden
26 LICHI: now I’m a little lost on the wordplay here – best I can come up with is LI(Chinese one), C, then alternative letters in dIsH but that puts the I and H in the wrong order? With only the first letter unchecked it can’t be anything else, right?
27 SHARN: N for E in SHARE, and another all-in-one
28 SPAN: double definition
29 COAL: anagram of A LOT with C($100) for T

7 comments on “Mephisto 2713 – Tim Moorey”

  2. I think it might be CH(inese) 1 on (the back of) coLd dIsh regularly, regularly in this case being every third letter. It has the merit of keeping the letters in the right order
    1. Lucky you! For some reason, spam posters seem convinced that my 3/6/2009 report on Times 24242 is just the place to advertise their various wares. Today’s deletion: “cheap parts for frigidaire refrigerator”.
  4. Another very straightforward Mephisto. Not as easy as 2712 but not difficult either and 2714 is hardly a sweat. I hope we’re not dumbing down again.
    1. As I said several times here (mainly about Times crosswords) before I got this job, difficulty goes up and down like the tide. I have never asked the Mephisto setters to “dumb down” and I am not aware of any decision to do so on their part, now or in the past.

      Peter Biddlecombe, Sunday Times Crossword Editor

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