Mephisto 2714 by Paul McKenna – Congress Compendium

Posted on Categories Mephisto
Straightforward puzzle of around average level of difficulty but with some stimulating references. I have a problem with one clue, 11A, where I think “Something to alter the best…” should perhaps read “Something to alter the current best…”.

Across
1 CTENOID – (NOTICED)*; comb-shaped; “pitchfork” is the anagind;
6 SOFTA – SOF(T)A; tense=T; tete-a-tete=type of sofa – a handy precursor to 19A; theological student in ancient times;
10 LANA – LAN(d)-A; soli=land; depth=d; before=A; the genipap tree;
11 RHEOCORD – R(H)E(O)CORD; the best=RECORD; husband=H; ring=O; a rheostat; see the intro for comment on the definition;
12 ABRAIDING – A-B-R(AID)ING; second-rate=B; starting is definition;
15 EGER – EG-ER; note that “spud” also fits the clue;
16 PLOVER – P(UL)LOVER; socially acceptable=U; line=L;
17 ORGASM – OR-GAS-M; before=OR; natter=GAS (slang); master=M; I think I remember that….;
19 MALAXATING – M(A-LAX)ATING; I definitely remember that…;
20 PERIHELION – PERI-HE-LION; point in planetary orbit that is nearest the sun;
23 TEHSIL – (“holstein” without “no”)*; Indian administrative area;
24 EVEN,AS – hidden (s)EVEN-AS(sembled);
26 OMIT – (intr)OMIT;
29 GREENMAIL – (large mine)*; a form of blackmail related to share ownership;
30 EMERAUDE – EME-R(A)UDE; old uncle=EME; amateur=A; literary word for emerald;
31 PINK – multiple meanings; 1=peer; 2=sailing ship; 3=to decorate; 4=exquisite; 5=gay (homosexual) 6=minnow;
32 NOT,UP – PUT-ON reversed; call on squash court or barrier to 17A requiring 19A….;
33 RIDINGS – RID-(sign)*; tracks in woods or more bonking;
 
Down
1 CLAMP – CLAM-P; reserved chap=CLAM;
2 TABULATE – (alate but)*;
3 NAAM – NA(A)M; American=A; NAM=Vietnam; distraint;
4 ORIFEX – O-RIFE-X; on=O; current=RIFE; times=multiply by=X; Waggledagger’s orifice (awful thought);
5 DEINOTHER – DEI-NO-THERE; alibi=(I) NO THERE (Guv); dinosaur;
6 SONERI – SON-(th)E-(prope)R-(Emirat)I; native=SON; cloth of gold;
7 FOGGAGING – FOG-GAGING; confusion=FOG; grass that grows after the hay is cut;
8 TRUE – T-RUE;
9 ADERMIN – A-DER-MIN; German article=DER (die, das); a vitamin;
13 DERAILLEUR – (ideal ruler)*; Bradley Wiggins’ mechanism;
14 DOLPHINET – (hold inept)*; “police” is anagrind;
18 SHOALING – two obvious meanings;
19 MITOGEN – MIT-O-GEN; German “with”=MIT; dope=information=GEN; a substance that causes mitosis;
21 RIP-RAP – PAIR reversed contains PR=price; broken stones;
22 EVENED – EVE-NED; Scots gangster=NED;
25 SILKS – S-ILKS;
27 MEMO – M-EMO; marks=M; type of pop music=EMO;
28 IMPI – IMP-I; old word for a shoot=IMP;

12 comments on “Mephisto 2714 by Paul McKenna – Congress Compendium”

  1. I think you’re being over-fussy Jim. A record may strictly be “best so far”, but “so far” is all we’ve got, and similar distinctions are ignored without complaint – for “highest mountain”, most of us would be happy with EVEREST rather than “Olympus Mons”.

    Peter Biddlecombe, Sunday Times Editor

    1. I didn’t find this as easy – got a bunch of scattered entries right away but then was poring through the dictionaries to get the rest of it together (I can see now that my copy has been written on in three different pens, so it was a piece-by-piece exercise.
    2. Sorry Peter but you’re missing the point

      In the clue “Something to alter the best about husband and ring separately” where is the definition of a rheostat?

      1. The def is ‘something to alter’. I chose not to specify what gets altered since it would be a moot point what precisely the device alters and what alters as a consequence. Also the middle sense remains as a possible alternative.
        Paul
        1. Sorry Paul, can’t accept that. A rheostat is not “something to alter”, it’s a device for varying electrical resistance and thus, via Ohm’s Law, electrical current. Nothing moot about it.
      2. Apologies for missing the point, but (surprise!) I agree with Paul. In particular, the Chambers defs for both “alter” and “vary” have “modify” as a definition, confirming my impression that they’re sufficiently exact synonyms.
        1. I’m with Jim on this. I thought there was something missing from the clue when I did the puzzle originally. I like Jim’s suggestion, which provides a precise definition of RHEOCORD without spoiling the surface at all. There are many devices which alter things, but a rheostat alters, varies or modifies electrical current; the ‘rheo-‘ derives from the Greek for ‘flow’.

          Edited at 2012-09-09 05:05 pm (UTC)

          1. Thank you kind sir/madam.

            We can’t complain too much. I’ve been trying for years to get setters to use more science based terms so have to forgive them the occassional lack of understanding.

  2. A pre-emptive apology for my stupid definition at 7D — an unaccountable misreading (incomplete reading, I guess) of the dictionary definition. No excuses but be kind dear blogger next week!
  3. I found this difficult, perhaps because it was my first crack at a Mephisto for a few weeks after my holiday.
    I didn’t notice while solving, but “something to alter” does seem perhaps a little loose as a definition.
    The thing that surprised me was “pitchfork” as an anagrind. Chambers has “to throw suddenly into a position or situation” but even in that there’s nothing about mixing up.
    1. There is more latitude in bar crosswords over acceptable anagrinds. Almost anything that indicates disturbing the status quo is acceptable. And, yes, you will notice it if you take breaks away.
      1. Thanks. And I meant to say thanks for the blog – a few I didn’t fully understand, as usual.

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