Mephisto 2739 – Don Manley

Posted on Categories Mephisto
Didn’t get very far with this one at a first glance, but coming back after a few days, it became a pretty steady solve. Right now I’m still a little unsure of one piece of wordplay (28 across) but it might come out while I write out the rest of the blog.

Interesting grid – out of the four long answers around the perimeter, only one is a familiar word with obvious wordplay, so what could have been a very quick solve from the outside in became a slower one from the inside out.

Away we go…

Across
2 P,ACHY(tender),SAND(light soil),RA(sun)
9 COHOE: Sebastian COE around HO
10 I,RISE(grow up),D
13 AMBULATE: BUL(k) in A MATE
14 PLIM: PLIMSOLE without the SOLE
15 BARONS: 0 in BARNS
16 P,ELT
17 BU,COLIC: BU being an abbreviation for Bushel (of corn) here
18 ROSE-CUT: SEC(like some wine) in ROUT(grub, second def in Chambers)
24 SEMINAR: or a SE MINAR
26 SUNBEAM: NB(note), EA(each) in SUM(tot)
28 READ: I think this is READY without Y (yen)?
30 AIDERS: anagram of HARDINESS without NHS
31 PLEB: hidden
32 AMELCORN: L in (CAMERON)*
33 ECTOPY: ECT(therapy, at least in a sense), OP(surgery), (the)Y
34 E, THIC(k)
35 HEAT(passion),HEN(female),ESSE(being)
 
Down
1 ACAMPROSATE: A, CAMP then OS in RATE
2 POMBE: B in POME(apple)
3 COULTER: CLOUTER with the L moved down
4 HELIAC: ELI in HAC(k)
5 YNAMBUS: reversal of SUB, MANY
6 AREA,CH
7 NITRO: reversal of OR,TIN
8 RENNIN: N for I in REIN IN
11 STOLON: hidden
12 DISCO,R,DANCE
19 SYNDET: sounds like SIN DEBT
20 TEMP,(l)EAN
21 DIRECTS: DIRE(dreadful) then CUTS(economies) without U
22 QUINCE: anagram of TECHNIQUE – THE
23 SERAPH: anagram of PARISHES – IS
25 MALLEE: double def/td>
27 BESOT: SO(thus) in BET(guess)
29 AERIE: A then EIRE reversed

One comment on “Mephisto 2739 – Don Manley”

  1. I also had READ(y) at 28A George

    Agree with your comments about the grid. Easy lights at 2A and 1D in particular would turn this into a doddle. Luckily both took some working out. Nice puzzle.

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