Mephisto 3001 – Don Manley

Posted on Categories Mephisto
I did most of this in one fairly short sitting, but the top left was largely empty. Took quite a bit of poking and prodding to get the last few into place.

Near the end I had to smile as the answer to 3 down became apparent. I am going to a conference in New Orleans next week (indeed if you follow the daily blog, mine for March 22 is liekely to be written from a hotel room on the last night of the conference.

Definitions in the clues are underlined.

Away we go…

Across
1 Tiny amount from bank one dumped in vehicle (6)
BUBKIS – BK(bank), I inside BUS
5 Navy game reveals gullible person, first to last (6)
UCKERS – SUCKER(gullible person) with the S moved to the end
10 What could make ape itchier are clusters of leaves (11)
PERICHAETIA – anagram of APE,ITCHIER then A(are)
11 Wild vegetable finally discovered in country, growing in rubbish (7)
RUDERAL – last letters of wilD vegetablE inside RURAL
14 Revolutionary given to drinking becomes chatterer as before (6)
CHEWET – CHE(revolutionary that we haven’t seen for a while), WET(given to drinking)
15 Secretive person no longer hearing — good person locked in (6)
OYSTER – OYER(trial, hearing) with ST inside
17 Refusal, for example, to continue after any changes (6)
NAYSAY – SAY(for example) after an anagram of ANY
18 River joins ocean — payment demanded from one perching here (8, two words)
SEAT RENT – river TRENT with SEA
19 US lawman giving attention to president initially (4)
Wyatt EARP – EAR(attention), P(resident)
21 Food from cake shop cut the wrong way (4)
BUNS – SNUB(cut) reversed
23 Opposition with street being demolished, dwelling gone (8)
RESIANCE – RESISTANCE(opposition) with ST removed
26 Car hit by fly went in a bit of a circle (6)
ARCKED – anagram of CAR, then KED(fly)
29 Sign of damage from wind — game restricted (6)
BRUISE – BISE (Swiss wind), with RU inside
30 Announcer introducing goddess to lord (6)
HERALD – HERA(goddess) with LD
31 Language from some of those so thoughtful (7)
SESOTHO – hidden in thOSE SO THOughtful
32 Bits of Italian food, cold, stimulated appetite, all except the first bit eaten (11)
CAPPELLETTI – C, then an anagram of APPETITE,(a)LL
33 Old deer spits audibly (6)
SPAYDS – sounds like SPADES – a spit is the depth of a spade
34 In the main body find excellent African people (6)
MASAIS – MASS(main body) containing AI

Down
1 Boats about to go into harbour banks? (6)
BARCAS – CA(about) inside BARS (harbour banks)
2 Old historian on island, fellow who would pray (7)
BEDEMAN – BEDE(historian) on the Isle of MAN
3 Arranger of festival in Cheshire town on the radio (5)
KREWE – sounds like CREWE – organizers of Mardi Gras, particularly in New Orleans… though the American Puzzlers League also call the regulars the KREWE
4 Go away — explosive will bring blast! (6)
SCATHE – SCAT(go away) and HE(high explosive)
6 It’s day care arranged for female supporters (10)
CARYATIDES – anagram of IT’S DAY CARE
7 Skeleton keys abandoned not stolen, surprisingly found in plant (dubiously!) (6)
KEKSYE – anagram of SKELETON,KEYS minus STOLEN
8 French ranks, say, standing up (5)
ETATS – STATE reversed
9 Fish is appetizing, not very old (5)
SAURY – SAVOURY missing V and O
12 Back at ease in the cop shop again? (10)
REARRESTED – REAR(back), RESTED(at ease)
13 Old riddle making one crease up (6)
SEARCE – anagram of CREASE
16 Queen maybe eats Indian food, avoiding extremes — it’s delicately flavoured (6)
BEURRE – Queen BEE full of (c)URR(y)
20 Orange colouring of pillar covering brown up (7)
ANNATTA – ANTA(pilaster, column) containing TAN reversed
22 Exuberant agent must snatch quick sleep (6)
SKIPPY – SPY(agent) containing NAP
24 Child under sun sitting atop tree is rascal (6)
SCHELM – CH under S, then ELM at the bottom
25 Little man cooks edible roots (6)
EDDOES – ED(little man), DOES(cooks)
26 A British accountant’s providing graphical representations (5)
ABACS – A, B, AC’S
27 Cappuccino not half disgusting — so get this? (5)
CUPPA – anagram of the first half of CAPPUccino.
28 Old women no longer advocates of revolution (5)
TROTS – double definition for old women and supporter of Trotsky

4 comments on “Mephisto 3001 – Don Manley”

  1. I very nearly completed this without resort to aids other than looking up words I didn’t know in my Chambers dictionary (and there were a lot of them). I was amused, though, to see that a lot were marked (obs). The NW corner was my last and I eventually looked for help for 11a having failed to spot “growing in rubbish” was the definition. In all it took about 2 hours. Maybe I’ll get faster if I persevere. Thanks George and Don.
    1. You shouldn’t be concerned about time. You will gradually speed up with experience. I used to take days to finish them when I first started
  2. Easy one for me as I knew BUBKIS and then BEDEMAN and KREWE were write-ins

    You have a typo at 3D George – the railway town is CREWE

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