Mephisto 2792 by Paul McKenna

Posted on Categories Mephisto
A largely straightforward puzzle in which I was glad I didn’t need to know the name of any international tiddlywink players

Across
1 FISTULA – (fault is)*;
7 SCANTY – S(CANT)Y; Seychelles=SY;
12 MIRTHLESS – (smithers + l=line)*;
13 ISLAM – IS(LA)M; look=LA; any doctrine=ISM
14 CATENA – CATE-NA; old word for dainty=CATE; chain is definition;
15 STOMACHS – two meanings 1=bears (accepts); 2=bibles for example=stomach (see bible in C);
17 KITSCH – KIT(SC)H; old word for ken=KITH; he sculpted=SC;
19 EDIBLE – (cr)EDIBLE;
20 ANYTHINGARIAN – (ny hating)*-ARIAN;
23 SCARAB – SC-ARAB; special constable=SC; old term of abuse;
25 CREASE – C(R)EASE; R from (p)R(essing);
27 JEANETTE – JEAN-ET-TE;
29 WEEVIL – WE-EVIL;
30 FJORD – F(JO)R-D; beloved in Jedburgh=JO;
31 EFFECTIVE – (d)EF(F)ECTIVE; department=d;
32 RAYLET – RAY-LET; RAY=type of fish of which torpedo is one example;
33 CENTIME – (men cite)*; “ironically nice” is anagrind;
 
Down
1 FRISKA – FRISK-A; about=A; dance movement;
2 INSTINCT – INST-IN-CT;
3 SILO – hidden reversed (radi)O-LIS(tener);
4 TRAMS – SMART reversed; silk yarns;
5 LINCH – L-INCH; a terrace;
6 ARCHANGELIC – ARCHA(N-GEL)IC; Raphael a real give away;
8 CHADDAR – CH-ADD-AR(e); Muslim body covering;
9 ALTAIR – (s)ALT-AIR; rating=sailor=salt; a star;
10 NEEMB – NEE-MB; mark of beast=MB; oil producing tree;
11 YSAME – E(M)ASY reversed; M from (criticis)M; stop rowing=EASY; old word for together;
16 ALASTRIM – ALAS-TRIM; complaint like smallpox;
18 CHALICE – CH-ALICE; reference Alice in Wonderland;
21 TRAVEL – T(R)AVEL: rose wine=TAVEL;
22 NEEDLE – N-(w)EEDLE;
23 SEWER – two meanings;
24 AREFY – ARE-F-Y; ARE=A; hostel=Y;
25 CARVE – CAR(V)E; truncheon=CARVE (an eel);
26 EEJIT – E-E-JIT; earl=E; “no income”=category E in scio-economic ratings; JIT=Just In Time system for restocking;
28 TOPI – TO-PI;

8 comments on “Mephisto 2792 by Paul McKenna”

  1. Thank you for the blog jimbo.

    I managed a lot off this without needing the dictionary. The only thing that puzzled me was CARVE. It had to be the answer, but I can’t find it in either OED or my Chambers 11th edition. Is it in the 12th edition? I have been putting off buying the new edition, but maybe the time has come!

    1. If you look up “truncheon” you’ll find it means to carve (an eel). I’ll amend the blog.

      I’ve a feeling a new C is due out this year so don’t rush into buying the present one

      1. Amazon has it available from 27th June. I also recommend waiting for it and then either buying the new one or buying the 12th edition dirt cheap.. sometimes £5 or less. However, I dislike the 12th edition which has lost most of its useful appendices and instead acquired a lot of unnecessary rubbish like lists of silly words, anagrinds etc.
        1. I must agree – that barmy section in the middle drives me nuts. Wouldn’t be so bad if it came exactly between L and M – and as you say full of rubbish
          1. I hope when preparing the next edition for publication, Chambers will remember they are meant to be producing a work of reference, and not something gimmicky and quirky

            I am replying to you Jim but I am talking to them! But it is probably too late by now… I did write to them when the current edition came out

            Edited at 2014-03-09 12:38 pm (UTC)

  2. Thank you. I ignored one of the cardinal rules of Mephisto solving – “nothing is too improbable to be worth checking”!
  3. A pretty pressed week meant I didn’t start solving this until after yesterday’s came out, but everything went in pretty quickly. I like ANYTHINGARIAN as a word, and hope to use it soon, and often

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