There was an extended deadline for this puzzle due to the holiday weekend(s). I don’t know if it was intentional, but I found this one far more difficult than most of the recent Mephistos and needed three sittings to complete it. I took more notes than I usually do (though I take more when I know it it my turn to blog).
As is customary with Paul McKenna there is a pun across the top row, this time for CLOTHES HANGAR – not festive, unless you were watching Mommie Dearest for Christmas.
Definitions are underlined – away we go!
| Across | |
| 1 | Talk about Latin reading exercise (5) |
| CLOZE – COZE(talk) surrounding L | |
| 5 | Spritely gran keeps going round massive sheds (7) |
| HANGARS – anagram of GRAN inside HAS(keeps) | |
| 11 | Hype in place of sound counsel (6) |
| ADVICE – AD(hype), VICE(in place of) | |
| 12 | Local river sheep get stuck in (5, two words) |
| EATUP – EA(watercourse), TUP(sheep) | |
| 13 | Special athlete from ’Ackney is relatively full of mineral (8) |
| SPARRIER – SP(special), ‘ARRIER(HARRIER is a cross-country runner) | |
| 14 | Shoot jet circling close to destroyer (6) |
|
SPROUT – SPOUT(jet) surrounding |
|
| 15 | Agreed to install flipping large security device (6) |
| DONGLE – DONE(agreed) containing LG(large) reversed | |
| 16 | Rum — cheers, they made it one afternoon (6) |
| TAFFIA – TA(cheers), FF(fecerunt, they made it), I, A | |
| 18 | I, with our feminist, made distinct agreements (12) |
| UNIFORMITIES – anagram of I, OUR, FEMINIST | |
| 20 | Oddly get wind of snap and credit note with hidden meaning (12) |
| SUSPICIOUSLY – SUS(get wind of), PIC(snap), IOU(credit note), SLY(with hidden meaning) | |
| 26 | Sections of Divine Comedy dismiss endless twaddle (6) |
|
CANTOS – CAN(dismess), TOS |
|
| 28 | Translator of one of Plato’s letters rings (6) |
| TROCHI – TR(translator), O’, CHI(Greek letter) | |
| 29 | Break in congress muffled whirling hum of happiness … (6) |
| IRRUPT – IT(sexual congress) containing PURR reversed | |
| 30 | … and indeed, perversely nasty too (8, three words) |
| NOT TO SAY – anagram of NASTY,TOO | |
| 31 | Dead-beat | comprehensive (5, two words) |
| ALL IN – double definition (though one usually has a hyphen) | |
| 32 | Extra big shot apiece (6) |
| NO-BALL – extra in cricket. NOB(big shot), ALL(apiece, whatever) | |
| 33 | Joukery-pawkery is unknown in loch where monster lives (7) |
| SLYNESS – ‘S, Y(unknown) in L. NESS | |
| 34 | Good to learn about English roasting birds (5) |
| GEESE – G, then SEE(learn) reversed, E | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Ancient boxer’s glove estimated to cut most of advantage (7) |
|
CAESTUS – EST inside CAUS |
|
| 2 | Accepting onset of Parkinsonism, load up this treatment (5) |
|
L-DOPA – P |
|
| 3 | You go now to get hubby? Spend stocks (8) |
| OVERFISH – OVER(your turn next in communications), FISH(hunt for a husband) | |
| 4 | Go with rank: not difficult to make detachment (6) |
| ZIP-OFF – ZIP(go), and OFF(rank) | |
| 5 | Old English rulers, amongst others — this chapter’s to be revised (12) |
| HEPTARCHISTS – anagram of THIS,CHAPTER’S | |
| 6 | Those in cultured societies are blighters about nice aim flopping (12) |
| ACADEMICIANS – A(are), CADS(blighters) surrounding an anaram of NICE,AIM | |
| 7 | Emperor and unit of Chinese distilled fragrance (6) |
| NEROLI – NERO(Emperor), and LI(Chinese unit of distance) | |
| 8 | Grab article Royal Navy installed — hoisting gear (6) |
| GARNET – GET(grab) containing A, RN | |
| 9 | Dash round Chicagoans’ transport for reception (6) |
| RUELLE – RULE(dash) surrounding EL(Chicago’s elevated railaway) | |
| 10 | Inquire about present in this paraffle fae the future wifie? (5) |
| SPREE – SEE(inquire) with RE(about) inside (present in) | |
| 17 | In new composition I use flat calami (8) |
| FISTULAE – anagram of I,USE,FLAT | |
| 19 | Yard is sheltered by kind architect’s spacing of columns (7) |
| SYSTYLE – Y(yard) ‘S inside STYLE(kind) | |
| 21 | Socially acceptable for lines to close (6) |
| UPROLL – U, PRO(for), LL | |
| 22 | Kissed loudly by setter (6) |
| PECTIN – sounds like PECKED IN | |
| 23 | Hip mobile? Certain (6) |
| IPHONE – anagram of HIP, ONE | |
| 24 | Take off from Orly one full of pluck (6) |
| UNROBE – UNE (one) surrounding ROB(pluck) | |
| 25 | Vessels which heat running water for locals bordering Tunisia (5) |
| ETNAS – EAS(waters) surrounding TN | |
| 27 | These gemstones are ordinary, straight up (5) |
| OPALS – O(ordinary) then SLAP(straight, direct) pointing up | |
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