Mephisto 2906 – Paul McKenna the sighing setter

Author   dorsetjimboPosted on Categories Mephisto
Relatively straightforward puzzle with a little French, Hindi and Latin thrown in to liven the mix.

Across
1 SETTER – SETT(l)ER; push along=leave; definition is “a stream of cattle” see SETTER-2 in C;
6 SIGHED – SI(n)G-HE’D; squeal=sing=inform on;
10 TICKETTYBOO – TICKET-BOOTY then move BOO to end;
12 THEED – THE-ED; old word for did well;
13 COMMEND – COM-MEND; common=COM;
14 CIRCUITY – CI(R-CU-I)TY; take=R; copper=CU;
16 RAMEE – R(AM)EE; ruff=REE; Chinese garment;
17 IDEATE – I-D(E)ATE; go with=DATE; Earl=E;
18 NESTOR – hidden (ear)NEST-OR(ator); & Lit;
20 CATNAP – P(ANTA)C all reversed; column=ANTA; Privy Councillor=PC;
22 DRIERS – DRI(nk)ERS;
24 ATOCS – A-(SCOT reversed); tax=SCOT; Peruviam skunk;
27 MEET,IN,WI – (wine item)*; howf=pub in Perth;
28 OVERARM – OVER(t)-ARM(y); I assume this is serving in tennis;
29 OBIIT – OBI-IT; charm=OBI; indefinable magnetism=IT (as in the IT Girl, Clara Bow); Latin for died;
30 BEURRE,BLANC – (beer can blur)*; sauce avec du poisson en Provence;
31 SEMEED – S-E-MEED; egg’s top=E; small=S; portion=MEED; powdered is definition;
32 ELOGES – SEE reversed surrounds LOG;
 
Down
1 SHTCHI – (this)* surrounds C-H; slices of c(abbage) h(eaped) =C+H; soup is definition;
2 ETHIC,DATIVE – (device that I)*;
3 TIERCET – TIER-TEC reversed; binder=TIER; busy=TEC=policeman;
4 EK,DUM – MUD-KE(pt) all reversed; dubs=MUD; point=pt; at once is definition;
5 RECIPE – R(EC)IPE; Common Entrance=CE;
6 STOTIN – S-TOTIN(g); bread=money;
7 GYMNASIA – (may gains)*;
8 H-BEAM – H(BE)AM;
9 DODDER – DOD-D-ER; clip=DOD; Duke=D; Queen=ER;
11 ONCE,OR,TWICE – O-(went cicero)*; round=O;
15 SANCERRE – SAN(C-ERR)E; Sauvignon blanc from left bank of Loire opposite Pouilly-Fumé;
19 TERNING – sounds like “turning”;
20 CAROBS – CAR(O)BS;
21 PEERED – PEE-RED; two definitions then wee=PEE, squadron=RED, from a former squadron of British fleet or possibly Starwars;
22 DJEMBE – DJ-E-MBE; one mixing=DJ; eccentricity=E;
23 SMITHS – MS reversed-(this)*; we forge is definition (blacksmiths);
25 ODEUM – theatre=OD-E-UM but blame=od-i-um;
26 ATOLL – A-TOLL; dialect for lure=TOLL; Bikini Atoll is still uninhabital thanks to US bomb testing;

10 comments on “Mephisto 2906 – Paul McKenna the sighing setter”

  1. Thank you for the blog, sir. I definitely needed your help on parsing 10 ac.
    Two small corrections, if I may:
    4 d – it is dubs in the plural that = mud per Ch.
    21 d – I wouldn’t know the Star Wars reference but I did find red = “a former squadron of the British fleet” in Ch.
  2. A further correction – 1d is SHTCHI – slices of C(abbage) H(eaped) inside (this)*.

    I rarely have time to solve the Mephisto, but always enjoy it when I do and this was no exception, especially as I had a glass of 15dn by my side while solving. 🙂

    1. Thanks and blog corrected

      My brother in law comes from Angers so I know Sancerre quite well. If it was white I hope you were nibbling goat cheese with it!

      1. And I just received a nice £20 cheque in the post this morning for this one, so I’ll be treating myself to some more (it was rosé actually, and there was no goat’s cheese unfortunately) – and probably start solving them more often too).
  3. Nothing too tricky, for some reason I have a question mark next to THEED. I’m really digging the puns across the top row in Paul McKenna puzzles lately.
    1. I’d not noticed that, so thanks for pointing it out. As I’ve only done two Mephistos this year that’s hardly surprising, but I’d only think to look for such things in the Telegraph concise (my dad showed me the top row pun there when I was about 12, and I’ve been hooked on crosswords ever since!)
  4. Enjoyable all the way through. Not too easy, not too hard, and as usual the top row just enhances the experience.

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