This one took me longer than the last few Mephisto puzzles, and I think one of the things that made it so difficult us the 90-degree symmetry effecively dividing it up into four mini-puzzles, with not many entries crossing from one quadrant to another.
As usual, Paul McKenna has given us a pun in the top row, this time for FORK HANDLES. One of your Mephisto bloggers likes puns more than the other.
The first defintion in each clue is underlined.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Female novelist wanting women’s expression of disgust (5) |
| FAUGH – F(female) and then the novelist Evelyn WAUGH missing W | |
| 5 | Carved lances left with devastating tapers (7) |
| CANDLES – I think this is an anagram of LANCES and the left letter of Devastating | |
| 10 | Moved up support for flower in rockery? (8) |
| ROSEROOT – ROSE(moved up), ROOT(support) | |
| 12 | Floridly written in the style of Fleming, amongst others (5) |
| ASIAN – AS(in the style of), IAN Fleming | |
| 13 | Duke with a bit of furniture having provenance (7) |
| DATABLE – D(duke), A, TABLE – provenance in this case meaning a record of the owner and source of a work of art | |
| 14 | A point of reference such as the fifth letter from church officer? (7, two words) |
| MIDDLE C – The fifth letter in CHURCH OFFICER is the C in the middle of those two worfds | |
| 15 | Term for verse mostly behind lyric (5) |
|
EPODE – |
|
| 16 | Légionnaire’s final exploit no longer causes discharge (5) |
|
EGEST – |
|
| 18 | Country walk being with dog (11, two words) |
| NATURE TRAIL – NATURE(being), TRAIL(dog) | |
| 22 | Sperm oil mixed with dye changed into something like PVC (11) |
| POLYMERISED – anagram ofSPERM,OIL,DYE | |
| 26 | Arab in skirt found here (5) |
| HAREM – AR(arab) in HEM(skirt) | |
| 28 | Greetings from Honalo, Hawaii (5) |
| ALOHA – hidden in honALO HAwaii | |
| 29 | No good in retreat backing one African beast (7) |
| KONGONI – NG(no good) in NOOK(retreat) reversed, I | |
| 30 | Scruple about ripe Brie — it’s the writer’s point (7) |
| SCRIBER – SCR(scruple) containing an anagram of BRIE | |
| 31 | Native of Morocco is a charitable sort (5) |
| MASON – the native of Morocco (IVR code MA) would be an MA SON | |
| 32 | Can Scots market upset husband’s good bargain? (8) |
| PENN’ORTH – PEN(can, prison), then TRON(market) reversed, H | |
| 33 | Mostly impressive and inspired imitator (7) |
|
EPIGONE – EPI |
|
| 34 | Notice containing Latin concealed by some (5) |
| HELED – HEED(notice) containing L | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Brother with me in court for conspiracy (7) |
| FRAME-UP – FRA(friar, brother), ME, UP(in court) | |
| 2 | I’ll transfer right like an Italian gent (8) |
| ASSIGNOR – AS(like), SIGNOR(an Italian gent) | |
| 3 | Where one learns trade — it’s far from perfect (7) |
| UNIDEAL – UNI(where one learns), DEAL(trade) | |
| 4 | Woopies swapping money for daughter’s flowers (5) |
| GLADS – GLAMS(woopies, I recommend reading this entry in Chambers), wih M replaced by D | |
| 5 | Poke fun at English CBer … she’s a cracker (11) |
| CODEBREAKER – COD(poke fin at), E(English), BREAKER(CBer) | |
| 6 | Take home tails from these birds which Greeks plucked (5) |
| NETES – NET(take home) then the last letters of thesE birdS | |
| 7 | Merchants run for one in nappies (7) |
| DRAPERS – R replacing I in DIAPERS | |
| 8 | Pick up small scratch from old Greek wolves (5) |
| LOBOS – S, OBOL(Green money) all reversed | |
| 9 | Difficult to douse completely (5) |
| STEEP – double definition | |
| 11 | Hot caterer’s whipped cream may be served with this (11) |
| SACHERTORTE – anagram of HOT, CATERER’S | |
| 17 | Comment is twisted and mean (8) |
| SIDENOTE – IS reversed then DENOTE(mean) | |
| 19 | Paying tax borders on technicality — fact (7) |
|
TYTHING – T |
|
| 20 | Funky loos are getting a spray (7) |
| AEROSOL – anagram of LOOS,ARE | |
| 21 | Judge facetiously checking charge lit up in the old way (7) |
| LUMINED – LUD(judge, facetiously) with MINE(charge) inside | |
| 23 | Mottled Journal, aged, special within (5) |
| JASPE – J(Journal), then AE(aged) with SP(special) inside | |
| 24 | Instruments going west in main rocket (5) |
| CORNI – hidden reversed in maIN ROCket | |
| 25 | Seemingly learned clodhopper cut short (5) |
| BABOO – BABOON(clodhopper) without the ending | |
| 27 | Love yawning (5) |
| AGAPE – double definition | |
As to puns, as Swift said, producing puns is a talent which no man affects to despise but he that is without it. As you are a scientist, I could offer you a pun based upon chemistry George – but I doubt I’d get a reaction.
Must remember to look out for those punning top lines: sometimes helpful as with the TLS.
I did appreciate the funky loos clue with wordplay and answer closely linked.
Thanks for explaining MASON. It seemed the only possible answer but I didn’t understand the wordplay.