Mephisto 2824 by Tim Moorey – Inspiration Required

Author   dorsetjimboPosted on Categories Mephisto
I have a new odd location to add to my list of strange places in which I have completed a crossword – a cruise ship off Cape St Vincent in a force 9 gale with 8 meter waves. It brought a whole new meaning to rock and roll.

I only had trouble with one clue – 9A – which I don’t fully understand. All suggestions welcome.The rest of it is reasonably straightforward.

Across
1 CAUF – C-AUF; boor=oaf=AUF; a basket for fish;
4 CASTOCKS – CAS(TO-C)KS; cabbage stock in Carnoustie;
9 INFLATUS – INF-LAT-US (I think); inferior=INF; latin=LAT; US=one; it means inspiration – I thought in the sense of inflation (of the lungs say) rather than “brainwave” but my Latin isn’t good enough to argue; can’t say I really understand the rest of it fully;
11 VITUPERATE – two meanings; in C slang-1=VITUPERATE as does blackguard;
12 PIASTRES – PIA-(encompas)S-TRES; small change=coins;
15 CRENA – C-(near)*; canine=C; a notch or tooth;
16 STRAD – DARTS reversed;
17 MELILOT – ME(LILO)T; plants;
18 ARICEPT – A(RICE)PT; drug used in treatment of Altzheimers;
20 TORCS – sounds like “talks”;
22 COPAL – CO-PAL; aromatic resin used to make varnish;
24 A,REBOURS – A-RE-BOURS(e); against the grain in Grenoble;
25 SHOESTRING – (the biggest rounds – budget)*; clever clue;
26 TENTORIA – TENT-(Vict)ORIA; yurt=TENT; sheets of the dura mater;
27 PIERIDES – PIE(R-ID-E)S;rule book=PIE-4;the nine Muses;
28 SOAY – SO(me-d)AY; medcine=med; Hebridean island;
 
Down
1 CIPPUS – lemon=CI-tr-US which becomes CI-PP-US; the stocks;
2 ANTISTROPHE – (athens + I)* surrounds PORT=left reversed; a stanza;
3 FLISK – F-LISK; flank=LISK; to skip in Sterling;
4 CATTED – CAT-TED; chap=man=CAT; reference Ted (Edward) Kennedy US Senator; vomitted (brought up);
5 SUPERETTE – (EU ptotest with “e” for “o”)*; a small supermarket in Sydney;
6 OURARI – OU(RAR)I; RAR from RAR(e); plant that gives curare;
7 CHAPELRY – CHA(PEL)RY; PEL from PEL(t);
8 SHEVAT – SHE-VAT;
10 STENOCARDIA – ST(CONE reversed)A-R-DIA; angina;
13 RAMPARTED – RAM-PARTED;
14 TRIPTOTE – TRIP-TOTE; skip=TRIP; bag=TOTE;
18 ACTS,UP – ACT-SUP;
19 CAREER – complainant=carper then change “p” to “e” from (sept)E(mber);
20 TO,BITS – (botanist – a – n)*;
21 SASHAY – SAS-H-AY;
23 MONOS – MO(N)O-S;

7 comments on “Mephisto 2824 by Tim Moorey – Inspiration Required”

  1. I found this one quite tricky, and still had a couple missing, so thanks for clearing them up for me.
    I can help with 9ac though: it’s LAT for Latin and then US for ‘one’.
      1. ‘Sudden idea’. It never even occurred to me that this might only refer to the literal rather than figurative meaning of ‘inspiration’, but then my Latin is non-existent!

        Edited at 2014-10-19 08:51 am (UTC)

  2. I didn’t have a problem with INFLATUS – thinking inspiration as the opposite of expiration. Most of it went in without looking anything up.
  3. Thank you for the blog, sir.
    I’m sure 25 ac is a clever clue but I cannot parse it fully. A big round (of drinks) blows a shoestring budget……?
    1. The whole clue is the definition as well as being the cryptic – I think you have to give the setter a little leeway on the definition front but in such a clever construction I didn’t have any problems with that.

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