I got pretty bogged down in the bottom left hand quater of this puzzle where I confidently wrote in an alternative (though the spelling I see most often) spelling at 14 down which had me second-guessing 23 across and 19 down.
In pretty spectacular George fashion I took a bunch of notes on a printed copy of this puzzle and then recycled it, so I had to solve it again online and I hope I can remember everything I had circled or noted as being worth mentioning.
In Mephistos, definitions (the most direct of which is underlined) can be confirmed in Chambers so I will be focusing on the wordplay in the clues.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Onset of obesity on monkeys leads to complaint in pavilion (6) |
| OTITIS – first letter in Obesity then TITIS (monkeys). The pavilion is the outer ear | |
| 5 | Neat enclosure good for Charlie, more than a handful for Angus (6) |
| GOWPEN – COW PEN (neat enclosure) with G(good) instead of C(Charlie) | |
| 9 | Spy HQ, one’s almost distraught with it being attacked (11) |
| MOLESTATION – two sets of wordplay – MOLE(spy) STATION(HQ) and an anagram of ONE,ALMOST and IT | |
| 11 | Indian officer’s subordinate had abused army regulation (8) |
| SUBAHDAR – SUB(subordinate) then an anagram of HAD, AR(army regulation) | |
| 12 | Flog duck by the sound of it in Barnsley (5) |
| KNOUT – sounds like NOWT(zero, duck in cricket) | |
| 13 | Feathers of hawk and wading bird found in rubbish (6) |
| BRAILS – RAIL(wading bird) inside B***S*** (rubbish) | |
| 14 | More affable Master of the Rolls receives a bow (6) |
| MATIER – MR(Master of the Rolls) contaning A TIE(bow) | |
| 17 | Latin term, one for the ultimate of precision in reproduction (9) |
| LITERATIM – anagram of LATIN TERM with I (one) replacing the last letter of precisioN | |
| 18 | Black hole, apparently small in surrounding band (9) |
| COLLAPSAR – AP(apparently), S(small) inside COLLAR(band) | |
| 22 | Pressure on Nigerian ready to return fine marble (6) |
| PARIAN – P(pressure) then a reversal of NAIRA(Nigerian money) | |
| 23 | Saudi term of abuse could be “swine” (6) |
| SUIDAE – anagram of SAUDI and the last letter of abusE – found in Chambers under SUID | |
| 24 | Some overseas left-handers for the Ashes (5) |
| EASLE – hidden inside oversEAS LEft-handers | |
| 26 | Feet opened somehow in two seconds (8) |
| SPONDEES – anagram of OPENED inside S, S(two seconds) | |
| 27 | What can keep engine from overheating? Nitre possibly, can (11) |
| INTERCOOLER – anagram of NITRE then COOLER(prison, can) | |
| 28 | Name for maiden schoolgirls in Brownies (6) |
| NISSES – N(name) replacing M(maiden) in MISSES(schoolgirls) | |
| 29 | Pictures in lobby mostly showing industrial action (6) |
| HARTAL – ART(pictures) inside HALL(lobby) missing the last letter | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Head off from one Siberian city for another (4) |
| OMSK – remove the top letter from TOMSK(Siberian city) | |
| 2 | Take up drink after getting ragged in violent storms (8) |
| TORNADOS – SODA(drink) reversed after TORN(ragged) | |
| 3 | Leaves writer inside to get liquor (8) |
| TEQUILLA – TEA leaves with QUILL(writer) inside. Only ever seen this with one L, but both spellings are in Chambers | |
| 4 | Royal house for all to see in shoot (6) |
| STUART – U(for all to see) in START(to pour out or shoot) | |
| 5 | Rattle’s double bass interrupting wind (6) |
| GABBLE – B and B(double bass) inside GALE(wind) | |
| 6 | Nameless public official brings seal (5) |
| OTARY – remove N(name) from NOTARY(public offiicial) | |
| 7 | Adroit tips rubbished, one does feel a heel (10) |
| PODIATRIST – anagram of ADROIT,TIPS | |
| 8 | Vikings seem excited with goddess coming round (8) |
| NORSEMEN – anagram of SEEM inside NORN(goddess) | |
| 10 | Forget about colonialist waffling — it’s balls! (10) |
| COTILLIONS – remove A(about) from COLONIALIST and form an anagram | |
| 14 | Ridicule a lapse in conversation — one puts one’s foot in it (8) |
| MOCASSIN – sounds like MOCK A SIN. I have only seen this spelled with two Cs and one S | |
| 15 | Book on reporter not the first one to cause litigation (8) |
| BARRATOR – B(book) on NARRATOR(reporter) missing the first letter | |
| 16 | Case laid out for plant (8) |
| SIDALCEA – anagram of CASE,LAID | |
| 19 | Sound of alarms for old spouses (6) |
| PHEERS – sounds like FEARS – found in Chambers under FERE | |
| 20 | Go to crack school parole as before (6) |
| SPEECH – PEE(go to the toilet) inside SCH(school) | |
| 21 | Iced tea on the rocks? Reject it and porter (5) |
| CADEE – anagram of ICED,TEA missing IT | |
| 25 | Old nobleman rising needs both hands with grandchild (4) |
| EORL – reverse all of L, R(both hands) and OE(grandchild) | |
fear – https://chambers.co.uk/search/?query=fear&title=21st
alarm – https://chambers.co.uk/search/?query=alarm&title=21st