Mephisto 2888 by Paul McKenna – King Charles Meets Arthur English

Posted on Categories Mephisto
The first puzzle of 2016 and a standard offering that shouldn’t unduly trouble seasoned solvers

Across
1 BILLED – B(ILL)ED; “divan for one”=”divan is DBE”; caressed=BILLED (and cooed);
5 INCITE – INC-IT-E;
10 LAND-PIRATE – LAND-P-IRATE; P=priest; thief in Tilbury perhaps;
11 SPIVVY – SP(I-V-V)Y; Arthur English no doubt;
13 TOPOI – TOPO-I; climber’s map=TOPO; stock themes is definition;
14 AMOEBAS – A-MO-BAS(E promoted); stand=base then “back first” gives EBAS;
15 OVOLO – OV(er)-(loo)*; a moulding;
16 FORPINE – F(lower)-ORPINE; stonecrop=ORPINE; antiquated go to pot is definition;
17 NEPTUNE – (punnet)*-(grap)E;
23 OAK,TREE – (take over – v)*; reference Charles II fleeing Roundheads;
25 KIP,DOWN – K-I-P-DOWN; turn in is definition;
28 ICTAL – hidden (lunat)IC-TAL(ks);
29 ASTRAND – A-STR-AND; acting=A; strong=STR;
30 DHOBI – D(HOB)I; pleural of deus=DI; rustic=HOB; washerman is definition;
31 FLITED – FLI(t)TED; flitt=move house in Motherwell; see “flyte” for quarelled in Queensferry;
32 EVANISHING – EVA-(SIN reversed)-(t)HING;
33 DURESS – D(U)RESS;
34 EDGERS – (reeds)* surrounds G=good;
 
Down
1 BOSTON – (SOB reversed)-TON; card game – bit like whist;
2 IMPOVERISH – IMP-OVERISH; gamin=IMP;
3 LAVOLTA – LAV-(a lot)*; can=toilet=LAV; old dance;
4 ENVIOUS – E-N(VI)OUS;
5 IPOMOEA – I-POM-OE-A; grandbairn=OE; about=A; morning glory is definition;
6 NIDOR – RODIN reversed; the smell of meat cooking;
7 CREEP – CREE-P(anic); snake is definition;
8 IAMBIC – I-AM-BIC;
9 EEL-SET – E(ELSE)T; a net;
12 DANCE,A,BEAR – (a beer ad can)*; to exhibit a twirling teddy – don’t see need for “under pressure” in definition;
18 NOWNESS – N(OWN)ESS;
19 SKID,LID – S(KID)LID; slang for crash helmet;
20 ETCHING – ETC-HING; what have you=ETC; curry ingredient=HING; carving and Victorian euphamism;
21 OKAYED – O(KAY)ED;
22 UPTEAR – UP-TEAR;
24 ELIDES – SEDILE reversed;
26 DRONE – DR-ONE;
27 OASIS – OAS-IS;

One comment on “Mephisto 2888 by Paul McKenna – King Charles Meets Arthur English”

  1. Thanks for the parsing of 32A – for the final part, I was trying to find words missing IT or SA and it never occurred to me it was just T.

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