Not sure there’s a lot to say about this one – typical clear wordplay for unusual words, and with the eight long entries being pretty amenable, it was just filling in the fiddly bits in the middle. One of my faster Mephisto solves.
OK – I’m pretty psyched. Now this is written I’m grabbing coffee and heading into town to the Mountain Oasis festival to see the one and only Gary Numan in concert. Hope everyone else is having a fun weekend!
Away we go
Across | |
---|---|
1 | CONSTUPRATES: PUT(express) and S reversed in CON RATES (Tory values) |
11 | GEOPHAGIST: E |
12 | OTOCYST: anagram of TO,SCOT,Y |
14 | MERK |
15 | SNOCAT: A,C in TONS reversed |
16 | ROPE’S END: (REP’S DONE)* |
18 |
|
20 | ADRENAL: |
22 | DASHEKI: DASH(run) then IKE(Eisenhower) reversed |
24 |
|
25 | BESPOKEN: SPOKE in BEN |
26 | SHORAN: A in SHORN |
29 | TOSE: didn’t know this definition of CARD as “tease out” |
30 | FERULAS: (REFUSAL)* |
31 | ILANG-ILANG: 1 in I(ego) LANG LANG – I did not know of the pianist but he could be the first Mephisto component who is on Instagram |
32 | PHRASEMONGER: H |
Down | |
2 | OSTEOPATHS: POETS reversed in OATHS |
3 | SECKEL: C |
4 | TOYS: anagram of STORY missing R |
5 | UPS,PEAK |
6 | RAINDROP: well I know the prelude but now it’s in front of me I can’t see the wordplay here |
7 | A,GI |
8 | T,INCAN,S |
9 | STATELINESS: LINES in STATES |
10 | COMRADESHIP: anagram of HOPE, RACISM, |
13 | GARAGE SALE: A,RAGES in GALE |
17 | SHEBANGS: or SHE BANGS |
19 | ESC |
21 | DISH,ELM |
23 | JOTUNN: J then UN in (NOT)* |
27 | RANA: hidden reversed |
28 | URAO: U then OAR reversed |
Agreed, a high quality but relatively easy puzzle. I’ve come across LANG LANG before.