Reasonably straighforward Mephisto but with two French and one Latin tag thrown into the mix. Quite why the French put things on the carpet whilst the English put them on the table when they raise them as ideas for discussion I’m not sure – must say something about the respective cultures.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | RELETS – (STELE-R) all reversed; R from (selle)R; stone tablet=STELE; |
| 6 | MERCY – cheerful=merry then second repitition=r so convert that to c=about; |
| 10 | EAUX – (chat)EAUX; |
| 11 | WEREGILD – WE’RE-GILD; old word for flush=GILD; payment in restitution; |
| 12 | PARTI,PRIS – PARIS surrounds (trip)*; a decision already taken from the French prendre and pris; ; |
| 14 | UPDREW – (pure w)* surrounds D=diamonds (cards); |
| 16 | TEA – T(E)A; Earl=E; TA=Territorial Army; |
| 18 | STRAND – STRA(N)D; to me a defunct brand name famous for its self destructive advertising; |
| 19 | PENDENTE,LITE – P(END)EN-T-ELITE; female swan=PEN; old word for “to”=T; alpha set=A List=ELITE; Latin tag for pending litigation; |
| 21 | FUSIBLE,METAL – (blue flames it)*; metal alloy such as solder; |
| 23 | PRATIE – PR-A-TIE; present=PR; an Irish spud; |
| 26 | LID – Scots fool=dill then remove “l” and reverse=LID; |
| 28 | FLAMEN – FL-AMEN; Liechenstein=FL; Roman priest; |
| 29 | DYSTOPIAN – (dainty sop)*; opposite of utopian; |
| 30 | MINDLESS – M(INDL)ESS; tree=lind then move top=l to the east=IND-L; |
| 31 | ISLE – IS-LE; |
| 32 | B-CELL – BC-(f)ELL; Board of Control=BC; white blood cells, part of the immune system; |
| 33 | ASSENT – ASS-ENT; ENT=Ear,Nose and Throat; |
| Down | |
| 1 | REPULP – (supplier – is)*; |
| 2 | LURDANS – LUR(e)-DAN(e)S; incompetent people; |
| 3 | EXTRADITED – EX(TRAD)ITED; |
| 4 | TWIER – T(W)IER; old nozzle; |
| 5 | ARRESTEE – SERRA reversed – TEE; SERRA=(mountain) chain; bust=arrested; |
| 6 | MEINT – M(E)INT; Scots for venture=MINT; old word for mixed; |
| 7 | RIOT – R(IO)T; cry of joy=IO; |
| 8 | CLIENTAGE – C-LIE-NT-AGE; caught=C; press=LIE; not=NT; mature=AGE; |
| 9 | YDRAD – lifetime=DAY then reverse around DR=doctor; old word for dread; |
| 13 | SUR,LE,TAPIS – (plus satire)*; usually mettre sur le tapis – in English “put on the table” for discussion; |
| 15 | PLEURITIC – PL(acebos)-(I cure it)*; |
| 17 | UNLEASED – UN-L-EASED; |
| 20 | ITEMISE – I-TE-MISE; current=I (physics); note=TE; old expenditure=MISE; |
| 22 | LINNET – LIN-NET; beside waterfall=LIN; |
| 23 | PLUMB – PLUM-B(ertie); Wodehouse was known to his friends as Plum; |
| 24 | IDYLL – hidden reversed (lams)ID-YLL(ufwa); |
| 25 | GLOSS – two meanings 1=render plausible (spin) 2=explanation for obscurity (this blog?); |
| 27 | DONE – D-ONE; god=deity=D; I=ONE; |
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