Mephisto 2825 – Paul McKenna

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
Sorry I’m a little late in getting this up – I don’t think there was anything too controversial or mega-obscure here, though there were a few I got from definition and had to retrofit the wordplay for the blog.

I thought there was a lower number of “these would only exist in a crossword” words this time around though I don’t see myself using 32 across anytime soon

Away we go…

Across
1 SUPERORGANIC: anagram of (PERSIAN,RUG,CO)
10 HERYED: RY in HEED
12 DONA: take the W out of DOWNA(cannot)
13 ‘EM,PEACH
14 PAGINAL: PL surrounding (AGAIN)* – the leaves being the paper type
15 I,SI(t),AC
16 P,(d)INED
17 KANT,ELE(c)
19 IN A BODY: INDY(race) around AB(autobahn),O(loop)
24 ISRAELI: DISRAELI missing the D
25 GATEWAY: A WET (tipsy one) reversed in GAY (inferior)
27 OWRIE: O,WRITE without ‘T
29 MUSSE: remove the O from MOUSSE
30 RUSH,IE,R: the last R coming from “take”
32 SOKAIYA: 1,(heav)Y in (OSAKA)*
33 LEME: hidden in gentLEMEn
34 V,IS,1,ON
35 LAMPBLACKING: B inside LAMP(punch or thump),LACKING
 
Down
1 SHOPPING MALL: HOPPING(picking mulberries) in SMALL
2 UEFA: A,FEU reversed
3 EYRIE: EYRE around 1
4 REEN,DO,W
5 REPLAYS: PER reversed(preposterously),LAYS
6 GREIN: E in GRIN
7 AD ASTRA: ART,SAD,A all reversed
8 IN(wearing),HALE
9 CANCELIERING: (CLEARING,NICE)*
11 REGNANT: add P for PREGNANT(old term for convincing)
18 EMERITI: TIRE reversed in EMI
20 BEESKEP: (KEEPS)* reversed under B(ournvill)E
21 DIARIAL?: Im afraid I can’t see the wordplay for this one, but with only one unchecked letter and the definition (of log) I don’t think it can be anythign else. A little help?
22 PROSAIC: Salvator ROSA in PIC
23 NAUSEA: AN reversed, then U(neasy), SEA
26 WEAMB: (s)WEA(t) (wear, barely), MB
28 WHISK: HIS in WK
31 EBON: B in EON

5 comments on “Mephisto 2825 – Paul McKenna”

  1. I couldn’t parse this satisfactorily; Chambers has LIE=LAIR which gives the last four letters (LAIR about). And D is diameter, but then, well, I don’t know.
  2. I had this as a rather convoluted DIA (diameter) + LAIR (lie) reversed, where the “In second place” indicated the RIAL should come after the DIA.
    1. Thanks for the blog, George. I found this one very tricky, but learnt a lot. Also thought the same as mohn2 about diarial , but seems rather tenuous. For 26d, shouldn’t it be WEA(r) as (accept, barely)?
    2. You’ve got it – lie(2) has “an animal’s lair” in the noun meanings.

      And WEA(r) + MB is the intended interpretation at 26D

      Edited at 2014-10-27 11:15 am (UTC)

  3. I thought this a bit more difficult than usual but strangely had no problem with DIARIAL

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