Mephisto 2949 – Paul McKenna – Times for The Times

I found this one on the easier side, with a lot of the unfamiliar words having clear wordplay. I also spotted the possibility of the pun (PROPHECIES) across the top row helping me get 7 across.

It is my understanding that the Mephisto setters have the ability to construct their own grids (as opposed to the daily puzzle which has a set of proscribed grids). The grid this time around has very pleasing 90-degree symmetry, so with the four interlocking 12-letter entries there’s plenty of words linking the quadrants.

Away we go…

Across
1	PROFFER: PROF(teacher), then FR(frequently) surrounding E(eccentricity)
7	SEIZE: double definition – one being that (sweet) 16 in French is SEIZE
11	TRIANDRIA: sounds like TRY then an anagram of A,DRAIN
12	OVER: double definition – cricket and radio transmission
13	DRAG OUT: DOUT(snipe, cigarette end) surrounding RAG(make fun of, banter)
14	SENTI: SENT(got off) and I – Estonian currency
16	ORIENTEERING: anagram of O’ER,GREEN,IN,IT
17	A BAS: A BAS is french for down, ABAS are camel hair coats
18	INCONIE: IN(concerned with), CON(study, show), I.E. – fine as used by Costard in Love’s Labour’s Lost – “O’ my troth, most sweet jests! Most INCONIE vulgar wit”
21	SONANCE: SONCE(plenty) surrounding AN(anoynmous)
22	RODS: A tribe The Bible, apparently they follow Aaron’s Rod
23	PASSED MASTER: P, ASS(clot) then an anagram of STREAMED
28	RUANA: A(accepted) in RUN(a trip), A
29	RUN-OFFS: OFF(official) in RUNS
30	IBEX: VIBEX(streak under the skin) missing V(vide, see)
31	ESTUARIES: anagram of ISSUE,RATE
32	SPORT: a definition and two wordplays – both for S,PORT
33	OARLESS: OS – Ordinary Seaman, lowest ranking rating, surrounding ARLES(payment system)

Down
1	PRO,SO
2	RIVERBOAT: anagram of BRAVE,TRIO
3	OWENIAN: WEN for a crowded city gave me trouble two weeks ago, and here it is again – O,WEN,I~~(mplement)~~,AN
4	FRY IN ONE’S FAT: anagram of FOR,INFANT,YES
5	EIDETIC: reversal of CITE(give an example) and DIE(pass up)
6	RARE: R(receipe, take), ARE(modern form of art)
7	SNAKE-CHARMER: anagram of RANCHER,MAKES
8	EDGER: I think this is a double definition but I may be missing something
9	IRON: RON(fellow) by I
10	EATAGES: EA(each),T(time),AGES(a long time with or without the S)
15	SNIDENESS: SN(Tin),I then an anagram of SENSED
17	ASP,IRES
19	NEMESIA: anagram of ENEMA,IS
20	NOTABLE: or NOT ABLE
24	SCOUR: hidden in recklesS COURage
25	RAXES: AXES(cuts) under R(resistance)
26	ONTO: remove PR from PRONTO
27	AFRO: O after A, FR

9 comments on “Mephisto 2949 – Paul McKenna”

….finished, that is, in the sense of putting a letter in every space. Unfortunately, 4 of the letters were wrong ‘uns, so I am still looking for both complete and correct.

On to this week’s…..

keriothe says:

14 March 2017 at 9:54 PM

How much do you use Chambers? I rarely have wrong answers because I check all the words I don’t know, which is most of them.
1. vinyl1 says:
  
  15 March 2017 at 3:21 AM
  
  I don’t use reference books when solving – I find it more challenging that way.
  1. keriothe says:
    
    15 March 2017 at 6:19 AM
    
    If you don’t use Chambers at all when solving Mephisto, I am amazed – and extremely impressed – that you finish them at all!
    As I understand it even the old pros like George and Jim use Mephisto from time to time: I’m led to believe it’s rather expected.
    Like I say, very impressed!
    1. vinyl1 says:
      
      15 March 2017 at 12:11 PM
      
      Well, I’ve never actually managed to finish one complete and correct – I think my best was two errors. Like I said, it’s a real challenge!
      1. keriothe says:
        
        15 March 2017 at 1:40 PM
        
        I’ve been solving these things for a few years now and I wouldn’t stand a chance of filling in all the letters, let alone correctly, without using Chambers. So often the answer is a word I don’t know clued as a combination of other words I don’t know!

No problem with this one and 2950 is easier I think

Grids: Mephisto grids are all made by the setter, following rules established long ago by Ximenes. The Times cryptics use a set of stock grids, but Sunday Times cryptic setters have a choice between picking a stock grid and making their own, following rules very similar to those behind the Times stock grids.

I only just finished this, and it made me feel very thick. I had immense trouble with some of the easier clues, searching in vain for some hopelessly obscure answer when actually I was looking for a word like ESTUARIES. You could call this ‘Mephisto blindness’, and I was badly afflicted by it this week.
I also had a blank at 24dn where I didn’t spot the hidden and rejected SCOUR on the basis that there was no support for ‘full’ as a meaning. Of course I just had to look up ‘full’.
Sigh.

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