Mephisto 2890 by Tim Moorey – A Smorgasbord

Author   dorsetjimboPosted on Categories Mephisto
An eclectic mix of references here including three French names, a Swedish Company, a Dutch city and Dutch booze, an Irish poet, an old English comedian and a Sheila from Spitalfields. In addition we have Francis Galton’s contribution to “improving” the human race and J Corbyn’s upcoming crossroads. Given all that GK, the rest of it was reasonably straightforward!

Across
1 MONTGOLFIER – (on rome flight – h)*; hot air baloon invented by the Montgolfier brothers circa 1782;
11 AMORAL – A(MORA)L; delay=MORA:AL=Alabama;
12 YES-MEN – YE(S)MEN;
13 LAPIS – LAP-IS; hollow=LAP;
14 OBAD – O-BAD; abbreviation of Book of Obadiah;
15 ELSINORE – ELSE surrounds (iron)*; anglo version of Helsinger;
16 EUGENIST – (s)ET surrounds (genius)*; whilst mainly associated today with Nazi Germany eugenics were rife in the first half of the 20th Century and defendants at Nuremberg cited the US eugenics programme in their defence;
19 G-MAN – G(M)AN(g); US slang for FBI representative;
21 CALASH – C(A)LASH; ladies’ hood;
22 ODETTE – two meanings, one whimsical 1=French girl’s name 2=small ode;
24 AMBO – A-M(B)O: old pulpit;
27 ERICSSON – ERIC’S-SON; slightly obscure UK centric reference to one Eric Morecambe; Swedish multinational;
28 IDOLATER – I-DO-LATER; cheerio=cheers=LATER;
31 CANN – C(A)NN; direct is definition (see con-4 in C);
32 YEATS – YEA-T(heatre)-S;
33 ANETIC – AN-E-TIC; I don’t understand the “Scottish” reference;
34 ‘ARRIET – ARR-(tie)*; an ‘ARRIET is a woman in Cockney much as a Sheila is in Oz slang;
35 STENTMASTER – STENT-MASTER; spare=STENT; a tax official;
 
Down
2 OMASUM – hidden (Oklah)OMA-SUM(mer);
3 NOPE – NO-PE;
4 TRIDENTS – T(RID)ENTS; Corbyn’s crossroads;
5 OLDLINER – OLD-LINER;
6 LYES – sounds like “lies”; railway sidings;
7 FENITAR – FE(NIT)AR; old treatment for scurvy;
8 EMBOX – E-MB-OX;
9 REARMS – RE(ARM)S;
10 UNDERHONEST – UNDER-HONEST;
11 ALLEGORICAL – A-(call girl oe)*; “oe” from (p)o(l)e; A=athletic;
17 SCHIEDAM – (medic has)*; Dutch courage;
18 BLASTERS – carouses=benders then change “end” to “last”; a sand-iron in golf;
20 STEARIN – S(TEAR)IN:
23 DEDANS – DE(DA)NS; pop=father=DA; spectators at a tennis match;
25 BOOTEE – future = “to be” then Spooner give “boo tee”;
26 DONET – DON-(p)ET; Latin primer;
29 TACT – (ca)T-ACT; short prayer=ACT;
30 GAIT – two meanings 1=Scottish child 2=way of walking;

9 comments on “Mephisto 2890 by Tim Moorey – A Smorgasbord”

    1. Yes, that’s what I thought. N for ‘note’ inside AE.
      I found this straightforward, which may have more to do with the fact that I had a backlog from the Christmas period, and so have been solving a lot of Mephisto lately, than the puzzle itself. My barred-grid skills seem to get very rusty very quickly if I don’t do them.
  2. Didn’t explain myself very well there. What I tried to say was the word “scottish” appears redundant.

    “note boring one jerk” = AN-E-TIC works fine

    1. But if it’s N (note) boring AE, then the ‘Scottish’ is required. So it must be!

      Edited at 2016-01-24 12:51 pm (UTC)

        1. I realise that, but as you say in that version of the wordplay there is no role for ‘Scottish’, so I think A(N)E, TIC must be what’s intended.
          1. It’s certainly what’s recorded in Tim’s notes about the answer. As ANE is another “one Scottish”, you could also argue, equally logically, that “note boring” is redundant. But the setter is allowed to decide which version of “one” he wants to use.
  3. I see a bunch of circles on my grid which takes me back to last Sunday night (Monday was a public holiday). I was at my regular watering hole and two rather inebriated sisters that I knew from a previous life came and sat with me, and wanted me to explain what I was doing, and if they could help. Though I knew it was a pointless task, I showed them how EUGENIST and TRIDENTS worked, which was enough to make one declare she needed a smoke. Over the other’s shoulder, I watched her light up and make a most ungraceful tumble on the smoker’s porch, which I pointed out to the other sister, who ran out to help, leaving me alone again. I’ve heard of two birds with one stone, this is a first example of two birds with one menthol.

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