I did this one pretty early since I was snowed in (thankfully mostly with power and internet) last weekend. I had a bunch of question marks around the outside, which usually means that I got them from wordplay and need to check the definition later.
I have a feeling there are fewer clues in this puzzle than in the more recent Mephistos, maybe due to the long answers around the perimeter.
Away we go
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | DISHABILLE: DISH(attractive girl) then ABE(Lincoln) with ILL(wicked) inside |
| 10 | ANNONA: ANNA(girl) with NO inside |
| 11 | LAAGER: LAGER(drink) around A |
| 13 |
PRODNOSE: anagram of |
| 14 | RECTORAL: RE(about), CT(court), ORAL(examination) – the superiors here being religious ones |
| 15 |
DRAM: MARD |
| 16 | ASKER: remove the top of TASKER – the newt is found in Chambers under ASK |
| 20 | STAPEDES: APE(mammal), and D(died), with SETS(groups) reversed surrounding |
| 21 | BARBERRY: sounds like BARBARY |
| 25 | FRERE: FR(father), then SERE(withered) missing S |
| 26 | NOUS: NOS(numbers) outside U((university) |
| 27 | LONG IRON: LONDON(capital) missing DON(fellow) then GIRON(charge in heraldry) |
| 29 | EXEQUIAL: EX(no longer), then EQUAL(uniform) containing I |
| 30 | SIMURG: G, RUM(strange), IS all reversed |
| 31 |
RELIEF: RELIE(assemble), F |
| 32 | SERRADELLA: anagram of AS,RARE containing DELL(valley) |
| Down | |
| 2 | INGEST: sounds like IN JEST |
| 3 | SNICKERS: SS(saints), containing NICKER(thief) |
| 4 | HOLT: double definition |
| 5 | BARRATRY: RAT(scoundrel) in BARRY(which I now know is a seaside resort in Glamorgan) |
| 6 | LADLE: LAD(boy) then LEFT(departed) missing the FT(Financial Times) |
| 7 | LANDSEER: or LAND SEER |
| 8 | SESAME: hidden in uSES A MEdicinal |
| 9 | FREMESCENT: M(maiden) inside FREE(indecent), then SCENT(set of clues) |
| 12 | CRABBINESS: C(about), over RABBI(teacher), NESS(head) |
| 17 | EMBUSQUE: anagram of QUIET,SLUMBERS minus LIST,R |
| 18 | MARINARA: MARINA(where sailors gather), RA(artist) |
| 19 | EDGE RAIL: anagram of AGREED, then I, L |
| 22 | ANOXIA: AN, OX, I, A |
| 23 | PROPEL: PROP(support), then even letters in dEaL |
| 24 |
FLURR: FLU(disease), R |
| 28 | ISLE: I’m not 100% sure on the wordplay here – can SOLE mean a sea area? If so then I think it is I, then SOLE missing O. I could be missing something. Of course I’m missing something – it is the name of a particular coastal area with a weather station. |
Jeremy
Otherwise, quite good. However, this week, I’m getting nowhere.