Mephisto 2720 by Paul McKenna – Don Meets Buzz

Posted on Categories Mephisto
A very satisfying solve that I thought was on the harder side of the spectrum. I have no queries or quibbles.

Across
1 REPULP – (purple)*; “do” is anagrind;
7 CALPA – C-ALP-A; about=A; a relatively long period of time (by human calculation) in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology;
11 NOREASTER – (treason)*-ER; “high” =rotting is anagrind;
12 FUNFAIR – F-UNFAIR;
13 KADE – KA(D)E; KAE=a jackdaw in Jedberg; dead=D; a fly that infests sheep;
14 EXTROVERTS – EX-TROVER-TS; direct from=EX (as in ex-factory); (legal) action to return goods=TROVER; TS from (s)T(a)S(h);
16 STOEP – S(TOE)P; special=SP; a veranda;
18 ID,EST – (pr)IE(st);
19 STROMATA – STR-O-MATA(i); strong=STR; tree in NZ=matai; supporting frameworks in cells;
20 PIERIDAE – PIE-RID-AE; prize=PIE; delivered=RID; one in Perth (Scotland)=AE; white and yellow butterflys;
24 SLANG – S(poken)-LANG; language=LANG; brill clue;
25 SWALY – SWA(L)Y; lough=L; a marshy place;
26 NUNCUPATES – NUN-(case put)*; legal jargon for taking an oath;
28 WING – W-ING; wide=W; meadow=ING;
30 ELF-SHOT – (“the likes of” minus “Ike”)*; “career” is anagrind; a sickness that follows being hit by an ELF-SHOT;
31 LUNARNAUT – L-UN-ARNAUT; league=L; ARNAUT=an Albanian in the Turkish army; Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, Buzz Aldrin, etc;
32 EMOTE – (r)EMOTE (as in TV controller);
33 ETERNE – E-TERN-(lin)E; schooner=TERN; old word for eternal;
 
Down
1 RIFEST – RIF(ES)T; El Salvador=ES;
2 EAUX – (azal)EA-UX; wife=UX;
3 PINTO,BEAN – PIN-TO-BE-AN;
4 UNFREE – UN-F-(g)REE(k); force=F; “greek”=a rather poor rogue these days;
5 PRIVATDOCENT – PT=part surrounds (contrived a)* where a=acting; “courses” is anagrind; university professor in Germany;
6 TEREBRATULAE – (true eatable + r=run)*; “in a salad” is anagrind; the lamp shell braciopods;
7 CABRIO – CAB-RIO(t); about three pints=CAB; a convertible (car);
8 ASK – AS-K; Cambodia=K;
9 PEDESTAL – hidden (im)PEDES-TAL(kative);
10 ARETT – A-RET-T; retired=RET; tenor=T; old word for award;
15 SEABATHER – SEA(BAT-HE)R; brand=SEAR; Bradman a real giveaway;
17 TRILLIUM – TRILL-I-U-M; grace=TRILL (turn) in music; a lily;
21 IGNORE – I-G(N)ORE; old word for skirt=GORE;
22 E-WASTE – (AWE reversed)-STE(m);
23 TYSTIE – (universi)TY-S-TIE; society=S; draw (a game)=TIE; a guillemot on the Pentland Firth;
24 SOWLE – SO(W)LE; dialect for pull by the ears;
27 EOAN – E-O(A)N; echo=E (phoenetic alphabet); of the dawn;
29 GAT – two meanings 1=piece=gun (slang) 2=the last bit of raga;

One comment on “Mephisto 2720 by Paul McKenna – Don Meets Buzz”

  1. I thought this was going to be a breeze when the two long answers went in pretty quickly, but there were a bunch of short entries that required visits to Chambers, that bottom right corner in particular

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