Mephisto 2743 – Tim Moorey

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
I found this a bit more difficult than most Mephistos, with about half going in (mostly on the right hand side) before diving to the dictionaries. There’s one I’m still iffy on the wordplay for (10 down), though often while writing these up the wordplay comes to me, I’ll keep fingies crossed.

I will have to use the word at 21 down more frequently, as its use as an abbreviation for “naturally” is making a comeback.

Away we go…

Across
1 SPASMS: M (end of ALARM) in S,PASS(hand as in pass over)
5 PAL,LOR(n)
9 HOSPITALLER: S,PITA in HOLLER
11 ISOLATIVE: anagram of (A,LONE,VISIT) without the N
12 STARR: double def with the drummer for the Beatles
13 EREBUS: B(ull) in ERE, US
14 VISAED: (DAVIES)* – I guess there had to be a verb form of VISA. Rick Davies is the forntman for Supertramp
17 ALMERIES: A(one),L,MERIS(clubs) around (th)E
19 SHALLOON: HALL in SOON
19 NEPITS: STIPEN(d) reversed – a no-longer-used unit of computer storage. You’ll find it in Chambers under NIT (I left this out of the blog originally, as noted in comments)
22 ONEYRE: NO(drama) revesered then Jane EYRE
23 PEARS: SPEAR with the S pushed to the end. I hadn’t encountered PEARS range of books before but it appears rather extensive
25 MENDAITES: END(last),A(afternoon) in MITES(small things, hence shreds)
26 STERN-CHASER: CHAS in STERNER
27 EASLES: E(English), (Australi)A, then (LESS)*
28 HOS,TRY: had to pick around to find which book of the bible was needed here
 
Down
1 (a)SHES: The Ashes come up in a few months. I’ll either be very happ or very not, either way I’ll annoy people in my crossword blogs. Apologies in advance.
2 POSTICHE: I think this is meant to be I(one’s), C(ounsel) in POS(chambers), THE but I could be wrong
3 SPIRACLE: A(active),C(Tory),L(Liberal) in SPIRE
4 STOND: STONED(smashed) missing the start of evidence
5 PALER,MO
6 A, LAR(k),M(artin): Googling Martin Bell turns up a skier and a reporter/ambassador
7 LEIBNIZIAN: (NAZI,BILE,IN)*
8 RHESUSES: HES in RUSES
10 PASSAMENTS: Oh, I get it – ASSAM(tea) in PENTS(penthouses)
14 VISNOMIE: IS,NO,M(ug) in VIE
15 OROPESAS: 0,R, OP and then (SEAS)*
16 DESTRIER: anagram of (STIRRED,E)* – nice surface with the recent Broadway hit
18 LOVEINS: LOS(praise) surrounding VEIN(humour)
20 C,RARE
21 NATCH: double definition
24 SC(a)RY

6 comments on “Mephisto 2743 – Tim Moorey”

  1. This was a rare excursion into Mephistoland for me. It wasn’t too hard to get started as the two 1s were easy enough. Thereafter my iPod version of Chambers came to my aid plenty of Times and I finished all correct without too much of a fight.

    I put nepits at 21 a which seems to be right and I get the wordplay but even Google doesn’t know what they are unless I’m missing something. I couldn’t see the wordplay for postiche so thanks for that George.

    1. Ooops – completely forgot to put it in, but it’s not a stranger to Mephistoland – a nepit Naperian Digit) is 1.44 bits
    2. Welcome to Mephistoland penfold and thanks for leaving a comment. George and I do sometimes wonder if we write these blogs just for the two of us (although I know that PB reads them)

      I thought this was a good puzzle and particularly liked 2D

      1. I always read them and am very grateful for them. I’m currently topping up my Mephisto addiction with some from the Crossword Club archive. The ones from 2004 are so distant that if I did them at the time, which I don’t think I did, I’d have forgotten them anyway.
  2. Don’t forget me dorsetjimbo !

    I got stuck a couple of times 1d, 12a and with 13a. The only word to fit EREBUS Apart from the dog reference I could not see the wordplay

    Thanks George.

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