Another tricky offering from Tim Moorey this week, with some cunning wordplay for unfamiliar terms.
I am writing this up a little bit in advance of the solution appearing (hopefully it will work, I tend to have rotten luck with scheduling posts on LiveJournal) and I noticed that there was the option to submit the puzzle on the Crossword Club page. For all the years I have been doing Mephisto, I have never submitted one (since it takes about 6 days for mail to get from here to London, I would have to mail it in the day after it appeared, and I’m not always that prompt at solving, but maybe I’m in it to win it this time!
Definitions are underlined in the clue
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Union money’s invested in a fine city, ultimately like Cologne (7) |
|
PERFUMY – U(union), M(money) in PER(a), F(fine), |
|
| 7 | An Indian measure is expensive, no end of loot (4) |
|
COSS – COSTS(is expensive) missing |
|
| 10 | Pros back for snub in Edinburgh (5) |
| SNOOL – LOONS(prostitutes) reversed | |
| 11 | Amphibian awfully lax catching nothing by chance (7) |
| AXOLOTL – anagram of LAX containing O, LOT(chance) | |
| 12 | Radiation measurement test follows three notes (9) |
| DOSIMETRY – the notes are DO, SI, ME and then TRY(test) | |
| 13 | Pieces for one only heard (4) |
| SOLI – sounds like SOLELY | |
| 16 | Inquire?! (6) |
| QUAERE – double definition for query and the question mark | |
| 17 | Odd fish in dam as before (6) |
| WEIRDO – WEIR(dam), DO(as before) | |
| 18 | Social security payment, initially no charge (5) |
|
GIRON – GIRO(social security payment) then N |
|
| 19 | One politician leaving Mexican port is a Central American (4) |
| TICO – remove A, MP from the port of TAMPICO | |
| 21 | Old impostor useless when speaking (4) |
| IDOL – sounds like IDLE | |
| 22 | Will’s affair in California upset Sue (5) |
| CAUSE – CA(California), then an anagram of SUE | |
| 23 | Might once used by Maurice on violent thug (6) |
| MOUGHT – MO(Maurice) then an anagram of THUG | |
| 25 | Greek character longs to get Playboy pics? (6) |
| NUDIES – NU, DIES | |
| 27 | Incomplete school pack (4) |
| STOW – remove the last letter from STOWE school | |
| 29 | Question with difficulty maids in S American trees (9) |
| QUILLAIAS – QU(question), ILL(difficulty), AIAS(maids) | |
| 30 | Scots own guards weak in battle (7) |
| ALAMEIN – AIN(own) containing LAME(weak) | |
| 31 | Unruly youngster tearing around certainly puffed (5) |
| TOKED – TED(unruly youngster, which I’ll leave my fellow Mephisto blogger to comment on), containing OK | |
| 32 | Friendly relations leaving area infested with insects (4) |
| MITY – AMITY(Friendly relations) missing A | |
| 33 | One wouldn’t laugh at engaging upper-class girl, for instance (7) |
| AGELAST – AT containing GEL, AS | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Relative pressure shown up in letters from abroad (4) |
| PSIS – reversal of SIS(relative), P | |
| 2 | Ring dated chaps on land wanting introductions (7) |
| ENROUND – remove the firt letters of MEN and GROUND | |
| 3 | Rather fat seaman in launch (9) |
| ROLL-ABOUT – AB in ROLL OUT(launch) | |
| 4 | Type of algae, great deal loaded by porter in America (12) |
| ULOTRICHALES – LOT(great deal), RICH(loaded), ALE(potrter, beer) in US | |
| 5 | School teams value degree (9) |
| MASTERATE – Anagram (indicated by school) of TEAMS, then RATE(degree) | |
| 6 | Echo remark initially about part of Koran? It’s well-proportioned (12) |
| COMMENSURATE – E(echo) with COMMENT(remark) coming first, containing SURA(part of the Koran) | |
| 7 | Fly on after Cuba (4) |
| CLEG – LEG(on in cricket) after C(Cuba) | |
| 8 | Preposterous game — it’s a fiddle (5) |
| STRAD – DARTS(game) reversed(preposterous) | |
| 9 | Fox is only half-seen before reaching high-street store (8) |
|
SLYBOOTS – ‘S, |
|
| 14 | Poet’s faint with piercing alarm signal (9) |
| SWOUNDING – W(with) inside SOUNDING(alarm signal) | |
| 15 | Endless rubbish, it’s also known as Buddhist literature (9) |
| TRIPITAKA – TRIP(e), IT, AKA(also known as) | |
| 16 | Turkish officer’s question and answer followed by another boring mosque leader (8) |
| QAIMAQAM – Q/A with another Q/A inside IMAM(Mosque leader) | |
| 20 | Natives mostly boasted sole supply (7) |
|
CREOLES – CRE |
|
| 24 | Windows foremost in operating computers, usually Chinese units (5) |
| OCULI – first letters of Operating Computers Usually, then LI(Chinese unit) | |
| 26 | See about top of mountain covered by trees (4) |
|
ELMY – ELY(see) around M |
|
| 28 | Black lead in tawdry play forgetting lines (4) |
| WADT – anagram of TAWDRY minus RY(lines) | |
The bad news is that I am not sure overseas entrants are eligible for prizes any more ..
competition, including third-party promotional partners.”
.. far be it from me to suggest any naughtiness, but you could always give the address of a (trusted)friend or relative resident in the UK. Though in your particular case, you may need to use their name as well 🙂
Jeremy