Mephisto 2959 – Don Manley

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
I remember not being held up too long by this one, which was a relief as I was still trying to polish off the previous week’s Azed (clearly I did not make the deadline on that one).

There’s a few wordplays I am still struggling with, hopefully they will be sorted out before I get finished here.

Away we go…

Across
1 EMBASSY: E then BASS(singer) in MY(this person’s)
7 AS IS: BASIS (first principle) missing the first letter
10 MIXTIE-MAXTIE: Tricky wordplay here, but I think I’ve got it sorted out – I(one) and X(cross) inside an anagram of TIME, then MAX(greatest), TIE(restriction)
12 ONIONS: double definition, one being Charles Talbut Onions, the fourth editor of the Oxford Dictionary
13 ESPARTO: anagram of A, ROPE’S and T(his)
14 SNIRT: reversal of TRINS(triplets)
15 WHITE ALE: WE surrounding HEAL surrounding IT
17 RATLINE: RATE surrounding LIN(waterfall)
19 STEAN: ST, EA(water), N
20 EPHAH: EPH(letter to the Ephesians), AH(gosh)
21 LACERTA: hidden in gaLA CERTAinly
24 PALATIAL: PAL, then A TRIAL missing the R
26 ROT,A,L
27 ETRENNE: , ETRE(to be) then NINE missing the I
28 ANOMIC: A(adult) then NOMIC(conventional)
30 FINICKETIEST: FIE(shame) surrounding NICK(score) then I in TEST
31 TOSE: remove H(air) from THOSE
32 HASTATE: HAS(possesses), TATE(tuft)
 
Down
1 EMMEW: I rather liked this clue – ME(this person), reversed(turning) and then WEM(womb, belly) reversed (up)
2 MISSHAPE: MISS(young lady) and HE containing PA reversed
3 ATE: ‘ATE
4 SIFREI: anagram of FIRE,SI
5 SEXTAN: SEXT(hour of the divine office), AN(before)
6 MANSE: hidden in clergyMAN’S Edifice
7 AXINITE: I, NIT in AXE(tool)
8 STOITERING: anagram of RIOT,GENT,IS
9 SESTINA: hidden in wiSEST IN Anthology
11 EPITHETONS: EP(record) then IS containing THE,TON
16 SATANIST: SA(Salvation Army – evangelists) then TANIST(celtic heir). Satanists don’t necessarily hate God, they just really like Satan
17 REDRAFT: RED(colour), RAFT(large number)
18 LARAMIE: LIE(story) around A,RAM(striker) – I have a friend who lives in Laramie, he is retired from the University of Wyoming
22 ALTHEA: ALTAR missing R, then put HE(high explosive) inside
23 CARETS: CLARETS missing L
24 PLICA: A CLIP reversed – PLICA POLONICA is a matting of hair
25 LEFTE: LEE(shelter) containing FT(Financial Times)
26 DIT: double definition

4 comments on “Mephisto 2959 – Don Manley”

  1. Many thanks for the blog.
    I have one question re 24 d: I don’t think it’s “clip” reversed but rather an anagram thereof. Is that now allowed sometimes – to think up a word and then change the order of the letters?
  2. Many thanks for the blog.
    I have one question re 24 d: I don’t think it’s “clip” reversed but rather an anagram thereof. Is that now allowed sometimes – to think up a word and then change the order of the letters?
    1. Hmmm – I did not notice that. Might be a rare mistake – I remember a few years ago there was a clue that required an anagram of a word that was not in the clue, but it was the direct french translation and there was no other possibility.

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