Mephisto 2807 – Paul McKenna

Posted on Categories Mephisto
I had a bit of a shock when I came to print this one – I don’t know if it was a new version of firefox, but the grid printed across more than half the page, and most of the clues were cut off. I found that if you went to the browsers print page (rather than clicking the “print” link on the crossword club) I could resize the print, so at 70%, I had a regular sized grid and all of the clues on one page.

Same thing happened with the Listener, so I guess my browser doesn’t like the barred-grid print link.

I did pretty well with the puzzle, getting about three quarters out before scurrying to the dictionary. There’s still one I can’t figure out the wordplay for, so unless it comes in the next few minutes I may have to appeal to the hive mind.

Away we go…

Across
1 ESTREPED: PE(sporting lessons) in (DESERT)*
7 GET,A(about)
10 CLARE,’N,DON: printing type
12 OB,’S,CURE
13 TAIGA: TAG(dog) surrounding 1, then A(American)
14 EDEN: I really liked this one – EDENTATA without TA-TA
16 CERO,ON
17 ENTIRE: hidden in incidENT I REarmed – porter direct from the brewery
18 APP,R,ENTICES
20 SCHIPPERKES: got this from the definition of the dog – it’s CHIPPER(fit) in S,KES(the shortened title of “A Kestrel for A Knave”)
23 MOOLAH: double definition, “blunt” being money here
24 REATES: ATE in RES
27 BIN(reject),K
29 THOLE: take OP away from TOP-HOLE
30 ITERATE: ALITERATE without the A or L
31 IN CONCERT: or IN CON, CERT
32 COD(joke),(puzzl)E
33 TIDEMARK: (DARK,ITEM)*
 
Down
1 (crippl)E,VOE
2 SUBDEACON: SUB(advance) then (ONCE,AD)*
3 TASER: RESAT reversed
4 ELUTOR: TU(you in French) in ROLE all reversed
5 PARANEPHRIC: anagram of CHAP,PREPARING less GP
6 DETENT: or DE-TENT
7 GNAR: RANG reversed
8 EDIFICE: FIDES reversed without the S, then ICE
9 ANAPESTS: PEST in ANAS
11 REGENERATED: (READER,GENET)*
15 PRESENTER: RESENT(grudge) in PER(a)
16 ‘COS,METIC
19 PHOTO-CD: PHO(expression of outrage) TO CD(command paper)
21 PARE(cut),NT
22 REVERE: E for T In REVERT
25 TIARA: RAIT(mosten by softening) reversed, then A
26 SLO(p)E
27 KEEK: I think it has to be this from the definition – clock=look. Is it KEEP with the P replaced by a K(ettle)?

5 comments on “Mephisto 2807 – Paul McKenna”

  1. A dnf for this one because I did about three-quarters of it, put it to one side for later and then clean forgot about it until I saw this blog.. ah well, there’s another one today.
    For 22dn I think your parsing is correct, George.
  2. Hi George. At 27D cook-3=”peep”=KEEK=definition; then store=KEEP with P replaced by K from K(ettle)as you have it.

    Reasonable middle of the road puzzle solved without pyrotechnics

    Today’s 2808 is very easy

  3. Thanks George, was bewildered by 28d, didn’t realise ‘at the back’ could imply a substitution, will watch for that in future.
  4. You’re collectively right about 28D.

    It’s not often you get the chance to mention barred-grid cryptics and wordsearch puzzles in the same sentence, so I’m going to tell you that as “schipperke” was one of the dogs in the themed wordsearch which was one of our extra “Murder Mystery” puzzles in May, doing that puzzle would have made Mephisto 2807 just a bit easier.

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