A few little traps for the unwary here, I found this a bit more tricky than recent Mephisto puzzles. I think I’ve figured it out.
Rather attractive grid I thought for this one, with the long down answers in the middle.
In Mephistos the definitions (the first of which is underlined) can be confirmed in Chambers so I will focus on the wordplay here.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Out of date cotton fabrics for maids (4) |
| AIAS – the cotton fabrics are AIDAS, remove the D(date) | |
| 4 | With reference to Heartbeat, shooting is costly (8) |
| SYSTOLIC – anagram of IS,COSTLY | |
| 10 | China must start to suspect phoney local grass (10) |
| MISCANTHUS – anagram of CHINA,MUST and the first letter of Suspect | |
| 12 | Court official has trouble stopping strike (7) |
| BAILIFF – AIL(trouble) inside BIFF(strike) | |
| 13 | Twig section soldiers surrounded by artillery (7) |
| SARMENT – S(section), then MEN(soldiers) inside ART(artillery) | |
| 14 | King John not against cracking on (4) |
| OLAF – LAV(lavoratory, john) missing V(against) inside OF(on) | |
| 15 | Dutch product reckoned to be from the east (4) |
| EDAM – MADE(reckoned) reversed | |
| 16 | Good number in Chinese society showing hair rolls (8) |
| CHIGNONS – G(good), NO(number) inside CHIN(Chinese), S(society) | |
| 18 | Pole put back retracted kitchen counters, for example (6) |
| TIMERS – S(pole), and REMIT(put back) all reversed | |
| 22 | Talk over nobleman engaging Mike Pence (6) |
| EMPARL – EARL(nobleman) containing M(mike), P(pence) | |
| 23 | Letters half erased on transcript for old survey (8) |
| EPISCOPY – EPISTLES(letters) missing the second half, then COPY(transcript) | |
| 24 | Recall detectives arresting proper pig (4) |
| SUID – DIS(detectives) reversed, containing U(proper) | |
| 25 | Leader of criminals on an Italian river? (4) |
| CAPO – an all-in-one. First letter of Criminals, then A(an), PO(Italian river) | |
| 26 | Lances concerning Carmen? (7) |
| REJONES – RE(concerning) Carmen JONES, the Bizet musical | |
| 28 | Supports detaining school reptiles (7) |
| AGAMIDS – AIDS(supports) containing GAM(school) | |
| 29 | A crazy guy in concealed spot gets the bird (10, two words) |
| HONEY GUIDE – ONE(a) then an anagram of GUY inside HIDE(concealed spot) | |
| 30 | Charm’s shown repeatedly by Queen protected by soldiers (8) |
| GRIS-GRIS – double up R(Queen) inside GIS(soldiers) | |
| 31 | Darned report switching sides (4) |
| SEWN – NEWS(report) with the S and N switched | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Light field gun in a US carrier (8) |
| AMUSETTE – A, MUSETTE(US backpack) | |
| 2 | Indian retreats from stuff in a quiet square (7) |
| ASHRAMS – RAM(stuff) in A, SH(quiet), S(square) | |
| 3 | Son combined with mother (4) |
| SCUM – S(son), CUM(combined with) – the second (and far less used) definition of mother in Chambers | |
| 4 | Certain very fast burglary (12) |
| SAFECRACKING – SAFE(certain), CRACKING(very fast) | |
| 5 | Fixed in one of their camps, four from Rome secured by public (7) |
| STATIVE – IV(four from rome) inside STATE(public) | |
| 6 | Consider endlessly lively dances items difficult to remember (12) |
| THINGAMYJIGS – THINK(consider) missing the last letter, then GAMY(lively), JIGS(dances) | |
| 7 | Yearn for start of tiffin with unfashionable black tea (6) |
| OULONG – LONG(yearn) replacing the first letter of Tiffin in OUT(unfashionable) | |
| 8 | Inferior fleeting shows lacking attendant troops (10) |
| INFANTRIES – INF(inferior) then PAGEANTRIES(fleeting shows) minus PAGE(attendant) | |
| 9 | Crack in Glasgow left out? Buy up there (4) |
| COFF – CLOFF(crack) missing L(left) | |
| 11 | Parking road rage I fancy triggers summoning device (10) |
| RADIOPAGER – anagram of P(parking), ROAD,RAGE,I | |
| 17 | Old rarely spotted rickety sled on view for audience (8) |
| SELDSEEN – anagram of SLED then SEEN(sounds like SCENE) | |
| 19 | Revolutionary lines up assassin as before (7) |
| SWORDER – RED(revolutionary), ROWS(lines) all reversed | |
| 20 | Naval officer Jack’s on the Beeb (7) |
| JAUNTIE – J(Jack) over AUNTIE(the Beeb) | |
| 21 | Medical officer sharing military awards in form of crosses (6) |
| DSOMOS – MO(medical officer) inside DSOS(Distinguished Service Orders) | |
| 25 | Chinese pillory corporal punishment in parts (4) |
| CANG – CANING(corporal punishment) missing IN | |
| 27 | Leaving Belgium, there’s extra payment as duty (4) |
| ONUS – remove B(Belgium) from BONUS(extra payment) | |
It’s also really worth making a note of 21dn, which often appears clued as ‘cross’, and comes in many forms: zho, zo, dso, dzho, dzo, zhomo, dsomo, jomo, zobo, zobu and dsobo!