Mephisto 3003 – Paul McKenna

Author   glhPosted on Categories Mephisto
There’s one piece of wordplay that eludes me right now, but I must say I enjoyed this puzzle a lot. A little bit of a change to have a 11×13 grid, after a lengthy run of 12×12. The three long across entries really opened up the grid. Add to that some very crafty definitions and the pun on the top rwo for SEA CREATURE and it was a lot of fun.

The first definition is underlined in the clue

Away we go…

Across
1 Hong Kong is backing chap with conviction from one authority (4)
SIKH – reversal of HK, IS
4 Here a cherub is transfixed by grabbing stick, perhaps (7)
REACHER – hidden inside heRE A CHERub
10 Buy the farm in Australia — bye-bye to Marianne et les autres (5)
ADIEU – DIE(buy the farm) in AU – I don’t see AU = Australia in Chambers, but it is the internet address
11 Common place to go for indemnity (5)
COMPO – COM(common), PO(latrine, place to go)
12 Equestrienne’s clobber is free, in good faith finally, with tick (11, two words)
RIDINGHABIT – RID(free), IN, G(good), (fait)H, A BIT(tick)
13 One of the little folk beside deserted ditch (4)
DELF – ELF(little folk) next to D(deserted)
14 Does tit flitter about in this most rotten of woods? (7)
DOTIEST – anagram of DOES TIT, referring to DOTY
16 Nod as young blood scoffed (6)
NUTATE – NUT(young blood, here more commonly KNUT), ATE(scoffed)
17 Voilà, near hustler is an African giant (6)
LONRHO – LO(Voila), NR(near), HO(hustler, prostitute) – a giant congomlerate
19 This’ll raise the roof — eg, Trigger in replays (11)
RIGGINGTREE – anagram of EG,TRIGGER,IN
23 Issue standard delivery for exercising inside of moat? (6)
ESCARP – This is the one where I am having difficulty with the wordplay. ESC works for issue(escape) – is the rest an anagram of PAR (standard)?  Well I had the ESCAPE part, but it is replacement of PE with RP
26 Dragon, say, close to George for a start — way out (6)
EGRESS – the dragon is an OGRESS – make the first letter (Georg)E
28 Condition in wage slave wanting expected deliveries to be fulfilled (7)
PROLIFE – IF(provision) in PROLE(wage slave), and a slightly cryptic definition
29 Turkish man abandoned oil (4)
OTTO – double definition:  nope – it’s OTTOMAN missing MAN
30 Everything good in limiting telephonist’s technique? (11, two words)
CALL GAPPING – ALL, G in CAPPING(limiting)
31 Note supplier with an inner soul (5)
ATMAN – ATM(automatied teller machine, note supplier), AN
32 Church in large town leaving Catholic sore (5)
ITCHY – CH inside CITY missing C(Catholic)
33 Giggled due to notice behind dagoba’s top (7)
TEE-HEED – HEED(notice) after TEE(the finial on top of a dagoba)
34 Dry old nipper (4)
SERE – double definition

Down
1 Ruffled rascals keeping back little fish (6)
SARDEL – hidden reversed in ruffLED RAScals
2 Tease (cod) special young ’uns (8)
KIDLINGS – KID(tease), LING(cod), S
3 Successor stamped with iron? (6)
HEIFER – HEIR(successor) containing FE(iron) an all-in-one clue
4 Take readies, save following lists from Lossiemouth (5)
RUNDS – R(recipe, take), then FUNDS(readies) missing F(following)
5 Urge reassessing a scene of foolish condition (13, four words)
EGG ON ONE’S FACE – EGG ON(urge), then an anagram of A,SCENE,OF
6 A child with pluck outside new cave in Germany (7)
ACHTUNG – A, CH(child) then TUG(pluck) containing N – “cave” meaning warning here
7 Monkey about around old feature of river (6)
COAITA – CA(about) surrounding O, AIT(feature of river)
8 ____’s replies starting with those opening such things (9)
EPISTLERS – anagram of REPLIES,S(uch),T(hings)
9 Mean moonshine coming up clear (6)
ROTTEN – ROT(moonshine), then a reversal of NET(clear)
15 Prevailing price to enter peeve (9, two words)
GOING RATE – or GO IN GRATE
18 Routine pretence in outlay (8)
PRACTICE – ACT(pretence) in PRICE(outlay)
20 International ensign unfurled — a rare sign (7)
INSIGNE – I then an anagram of ENSIGN
21 Beatnik‘s trouble having embraced what’s right? (6)
HEPCAT – HEAT(trouble), surrounding PC(politcally correct, what’s right)
22 Peasant is keen on expression of complaint, say (6)
FELLAH – FELL(keen, meaning 3 in Chambers),  AH(expression of complaint)
24 Votes in boxes? About time (6)
CO-OPTS – COOPS(boxes) surrounding T
25 Mug up on the early flute (6)
POOGYE – GOOP(silly person, mug) reversed then YE(the, early)
27 Papa stuck into council — flipping cool (5)
TEPID – P(Papa, NATO alphabet) inside DIET(council) reversed

8 comments on “Mephisto 3003 – Paul McKenna”

  1. Isn’t that Ottoman without MAN, the definition being ‘oil’? Otto isn’t a Turkish man that I know of.
  2. Standard delivery = Received Pronunciation which replaces PE (exercising) in ESCAPE (issue).

    Many thanks for the blog.

    Midas

  3. I see I’ve been beaten to it – I was going to say what both our commenters had already… Oil is the definition for 29a, I think, as Kevin said and I managed to parse 23a eventually. But there were several I couldn’t explain – 11a, 26a, 3d, 4d and 22d, so thanks for elucidation, George. Apart from such ignorance, my biggest problem was that I couldn’t get the submit button to work. After 5 goes on different machines, operating systems and browsers I gave up and posted a paper copy. Grr.

    Edited at 2018-03-25 08:22 am (UTC)

  6. Having completed this puzzle, I was unable to submit it due to a problem on the Times website. Anyone else have this problem?
  7. As with johninterred I found that the submit button would not work, having tried a different browser, clearing cookies and cache (which meant I needed to reenter my solution) gave up and entered by post.
    I’m glad that the latest has been accepted, as previous ones had been but the site is still inviting me to resume.

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