How to not solve a Mephisto 101 – confidently write in an answer that turns out to be utterly wrong, however be so convinced of it that you refuse to budge. That was the case here with my answer ANCHO(r) going straight in at 13 across, even though I know it’s a chili pepper, not a fish, just thinking “oh, it must be a fish as well”. This meant I had all of the bottom half filled in with few problems, but had to eventually give up on ANCHO to get the top half into place. However now I think I’ve got it all sorted out.
Not sure if this was that difficult, or if I just made a meal of it – Jim is away in some place without internet (sounds ghastly), so you’ve got me today. Jim is going to fill in when I go off on Thanksgiving vacation in a few weeks.
Away we go…
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | SCRATCH(the devil),COAT(apply) |
| 10 | EELY: JEELY without the J |
| 11 | TONIC: I in TON,C(two different hundreds) |
| 13 | OPAHS: OPRAH’S without the R |
| 14 | SUBADAR: reversal of RAD(admirably, though maybe not as up ro date as Chambers would have you believe), A(advanced),BUS |
| 15 | STRETTE: T,T in STREE |
| 17 | DIATRETUM: anagram of (‘T,MAID,TRUE) |
| 18 | IONONE: 1,ON(in advance),ONE(a) |
| 20 | SERDAB: BAD,RES reversed |
| 22 | GUIDER: GUILDER with the L removed |
| 24 | DO-SI-DO: O,S in DID,0 – figures are names for moves in square dancing, which is ridiculously popular where I live |
| 25 | MISONEIST: anagram of (I’M,SITES,NO) – marriage hater |
| 29 | TROCHAL: OCH for I in TRIAL |
| 30 | NACARAT: reversal of TARA,CAN – I was not familiar with Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, but if you go to her home page you can hear some really dreadful music |
| 31 | THOLI: hidden |
| 32 | ETENS: TENSE with the E moved to the left end |
| 33 | G-MAN: A in GAN |
| 34 | BEST,RADDLES(hurdles) |
| Down | |
| 1 | NEOSTIGMINE: anagram of (SOMETHING,IN,E) without the H |
| 2 | SEPTA: PT in SEA |
| 3 | CLARINI: (RAIN)* in CLIFF without FF(fecerunt – they made it), organ stops |
| 4 | ABSTINENT: TIN in ABSENT |
| 5 | TESTAE: EAT,SET all reversed |
| 6 | CRUETS: anagram of CURATES without A(before) |
| 7 | COAXERS: AXE in COR |
| 8 | ON-DIT: anagram of NOTICED without CE |
| 9 | AIAS: ARIAS without the R |
| 12 | C,RAMBO,CLINK |
| 16 | CREOSOTED: (SEE,DOCTOR)* |
| 19 | ODORANT: (TORNADO)* |
| 21 | DISHOME: or DI’S HOME |
| 23 | RETAMA: A,MATER reversed |
| 24 | DIRTED: D,(TIRED)* |
| 26 | SICES: SPICES without the P |
| 27 | B,A,LAS |
| 28 | FATE: sounds like FETE |
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