Mephisto 2782 by Tim Moorey – A Fishy Reference

Another rather gentle Mephisto for Christmas week – a little harder than some recent offerings but certainly not arduous. For some reason two word answers were flagged as (4,8) for example rather than just (two words). I trust this is an error and will not be repeated.

I have one query at 6D over parsing and a guessed misprint at 17D. I suspect overseas solvers will struggle to understand the Fish reference at 4D. However today’s forecasters accurately predicted the 80mm of rain that fell in under 24 hours, including when I was writing this blog. The results are shown in the picture!

Across
1	EDH – (n)E(d)D(i)H; better known as “eth” the barred D in Old English;
4	RAGTOP – R(A-GT)OP(e); guy=rope;
11	FROM,FORDONNE – F(ROMFORD)O(NN)E; FOE=Friends Of The Earth; ROMFORD is famous for nurturing Steve Davis and the dog track;
12	FONE – sounds like “phone”; old foes;
13	FREELOAD – F(REEL-O)AD;
14	COOTIE – CO-O-TIE; CO=Colorado; couple=TIE; head louse;
15	REALO – RE-A-LO(t); ein grüner Wahlkämpfer;
16	JACOBIN – J(A-C)OB-ER; are=A; C from C(atch); reference the Jacobite rising of 1745;
18	VERMEIL – (fever film – f – f)*; scarlet is definition;
23	MANGOES – MA(gone)*S; MAS=une ferme en Provence;
24	PERIAPT – PER-I-A-PT; a=PER; A=American; PT=port; Waggledagger amulet;
27	CRAMP – C(RAM)P; CP from C(u)P;
29	ATTARS – (strata)*;
30	INCISURE – IN(CI)SURE;
31	ILEX – I-LEX; I from I(nsurance); law=LEX;
32	CANTANKEROUS – (not an a sucker)* a=absolute;
33	YODELS – YO(DEL)S;
34	ODA – O(ttoman) D(amsels) A(accepted); room in a harem;
Down
2	DROOB – DROO(p)-B; a wimp in Wagga Wagga;
3	HONOURER – HO(NO)UR-ER;
4	RMETS – R-STEM reversed; (Michael) Fish, the most infamous weather forecaster of all time, belongs to The Royal Meterological Society;
5	AFFINED – A-F(FINE)D; FD from F(eu)D; related to is the definition;
6	TREHALA – TRE(H)A(t)-LA; I think – the LA appears to be unclued; Turkish food is the definition;
7	POLE,ON – POLE-ON; rod=POLE; Australian slang;
8	ANOA – AN(O)A; O from O(x); Indonesian buffalo (and troop carrier);
9	UNALIVE – U-NATIVE with T changed to L(ost);
10	HEDONISTS – HE(DON)ISTS; theft=HEIST (very appropriate in 50th anniversary year of Great train Robbery);
14	CEVAPCICI – (civic place – l=left)*; small Slovenian sausages;
17	BOOGALOO – B-OO(GAL)OO; I think “talking” is a misprint for “taking”; Latin dance based on the samba;
19	ETERNAL – (v)ET-(v)ERNAL;
20	IMPOUND – I-MP-(r)OUND;
21	UNSTEEL – (s)UN-STEEL; reference David Steel, one time party leader;
22	DIMITY – DIMIT(r)Y; r from R(ussia); stout white cotton;
25	STIRS – S(T)IRS; T from (fron)T;
26	FREUD – F(R)EUD; reference Lucian Freud;
28	ACNE – AC(N)E; N from (conditio)N;