Mephisto 2951 – Tim Moorey

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
I found this one very very difficult – very few that went in without a trip to the dictionary. And even then I was digging myself into a hole, by confidently putting in IN CASE for 16 across and leaving it there for far too long. I put TOGO in the wrong spot as well, but that’s neither here nor there (it’s in Africa).

Having written it all up, there’s nothing unfair, just a lot of obscurities, both in wordplay and in definition.

Away we go…

Across
1 CLACHAN: CH,A inside (thrusting) CLAN
6 BUDGE: remove the end of BUDGET
10 UPDO: UP(amiss), DO(finish)
11 ALLEY-OOP: ALLEY(back lane), OOP(s) – a flashy play in basketgame
12 ISINGLASS: Muscovite being a type of mica here – IS, ING(meadow), LASS(sweetheart)
15 NEBS: S,BEN all reversed
16 TO BOOT: double definition
17 LEETLE: ELT(young sow) and EEL all reversed
18 HUNTING,TIN
20 ENCASEMENT: E(English), N(Northern) and then Roger CASEMENT who has popped up here before
24 BEEPER: BEE(B, second character), PER(a)
25 EVITES: E, VI(six), then TES(t) – ducks as in avoids
26 ARLE: ARLE(s)
29 PANTIHOSE: POSE(model) containing A, and an anagram (neglige,scruffy) of THIN
30 BEAR-LEAD: BEAR(press), LEAD(intiative)
31 EGER: EER containing (somethin)G
32 ASCUS: I think this is AS(like), then CUSS(stubborn or awkward person) missing an S
33 CLAROES: poor CLARES surrounding O
 
Down
1 CUITTLE: I inside CUTTLE fish
2 ADIT: DIT(old term for words of a song) with A(are) on top
3 CONGO,U
4 HAGS: SHAG(nap) with S moved to the bottom
5 ALLOTTERY: A, L, LOTTERY(gamble)
6 BESEEN: SEE inside BEN(a better room)
7 DOMETT: DOT(mark) around MET(found)
8 GORBLIMEY: anagram of BOY and GIRL surrounding ME
9 EPOS: SCOPE reversed, missing C(about)
13 BOANERGES: Jorge Luis BORGES surrounding ANE(archaic version of AN)
14 ALIMENTAL: Muhammad ALI, then MENTAL(mad)
19 NOSHERS: (p)OSHER in NS
21 CELIAC: anagram of ALICE,C(ooper)
22 SEPALS: SE(London area), PALS – viola being the flower here
23 NICHER: NICHE(recess), R(resistance) – I’m used to seeing this as NICKER but Chambers gives both spellings
26 ARBA: sounds like ‘ARBOUR
27 SIDA: S replacing D in DID, A
28 TOGO: or TO GO

4 comments on “Mephisto 2951 – Tim Moorey”

  2. A bit harder than a couple of recent offerings and thank goodness for that. But no major problems, just a steady solve – nice puzzle
  3. I’m a bit behind in my Mephisto solving (I spent quite a lot of my allotted time on the Azed with no bars last week, which was fun) and I found this extremely hard, so I’ve only just finished it. I got stuck for absolutely ages in the NW until on about the third or fourth look UPDO, ISINGLASS and ADIT (all words I knew) occurred to me in quick succession.

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