I think this was one of the most difficult Mephistos of the year, there are not a lot of familiar words, and many obscure uses of common terms through the grid. I spent quite a bit of time confirming things in Chambers, and making some multi-step connections.
If you breezes through it, maybe you think in future tense?
In Mephisto puzzles the definitions can be confirmed in Chambers, so I will focus on the wordplay here. The most common definition is underlined.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Bloomer crudely put could be such, if accepted (7) |
| FUCHSIA – anagram of SUCH,IF and then A(accepted) | |
| 6 | Old tapestry frames where padres preach (5) |
| TENTS – double definition, the second of which will be very familiar if you live in the Bible belt of the USA where I happen to reside. Tent revivals, sadly, are still going on during the pandemic thanks to a legal loophole. | |
| 10 | Oscar called Steed’s sidekick, I suppose, sugar-coated candy? (10, two words) |
| ORANGE PEEL – O(oscar), RANG(called) and Steed’s sidekick in The Avengers was E(mma) PEEL | |
| 11 | That which winds Guevara up in revolutionary broadcast (5) |
| AIRED – the last letter of guevarA, I(in), RED(revolutionary) | |
| 12 | Discarded porridge managed to be consumed by leader (7) |
| DURANCE – RAN(managed) inside DUCE(leader) – porridge meaning prison here | |
| 14 | Plated silver’s left with chap, it must be restored (7) |
| SPATHIC – first letter of Silver then an anagram of CHAP,IT. I don’t think I knew the definition of this word before, but I know it as a Melt-Banana song (warning, Japanese hardcore) | |
| 16 | A form of willow selling in northern town (4) |
| SALE – triple definiion with willow, selling, and a town in the north of England (or Victoria) | |
| 17 | Scot on the fiddle uses this run out to brood (5) |
| ROSIT – RO(run out), next to SIT(brood) | |
| 19 | Fantastic, give a Tory opening for false dreams (9, two words) |
| IVORY GATE – anagram of GIVE,A,TORY | |
| 21 | Whatever may happen advance and beat your goddess (9, three words) |
| AT ANY RATE – A(advance) TAN(beat), YR(your), ATE(goddess) | |
| 22 | It’s in pass, it’s something to take in (5) |
| VISTA – ‘T(it) in VISA(pass) | |
| 25 | Share international title (4) |
| SHRI – SHR(share), I(international) | |
| 28 | Italian understood male in unsympathetic Havering (7) |
| DITHERY – IT(italian) HE(undesrstood male) inside DRY(unsympathetic) | |
| 29 | Concerning one in French isle just after gathering for friends? (7) |
| REUNION – RE(concerning), UN(one in French), I(isle), ON(just after) | |
| 30 | Resent involving old diplomat who’s second-rate (5) |
| ENVOY – ENVY(resent) containing O(old) | |
| 31 | Pick-me-up adding energy all over mushroom? (10) |
| CINDERELLA – CINDER(a shot of liquor put in a drink), E(energy), then ALL reversed. Mushroom can mean someone who rises suddenly from a lowly position, hence CINDERELLA | |
| 32 | Spenser’s vow is in trouble (5) |
| HEAST – ‘S(is) insie HEAT(trouble) | |
| 33 | Brother passes round something for boring fighter (7) |
| BRAWLER – BRER(brother) containing AWL(something for boring) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | ____ is frequently behind the sign of woodworm, eg (5) |
| FRASS – FR(frequently), ASS(behind) | |
| 2 | Seat of learning on norm not now directly made in one piece (10) |
| UNIPARTITE – UNI(university, seat of learning), PAR(norm), TITE(obsolete term for directly) | |
| 3 | Buzz about gold anemone’s tip — marine building blocks? (7) |
| CORALLA – CALL(buzz) surrounding OR(gold), then the first letter of Anemone | |
| 4 | Couple from Hebron holding up stiff letter of theirs? (5) |
| SADHE – first two letters of HEbron after SAD(stiff in baking) | |
| 5 | Colouring decorative dot but black stuck (9, two words) |
| INDIGO RED – BINDI(decorativ dot), missing B(black) then GORED(stuck) | |
| 6 | Eg, Trinity’s empty when 3rd is close to poor (4) |
| TERM – TEEM(pour out, empty) with the third letter replaced with the last letter of pooR | |
| 7 | Rising self-importance and breach in reasoning (7) |
| EPAGOGE – EGO(self-importance) and GAPE(breach) all reversed | |
| 8 | Geese spotted heading northwards around noon (5) |
| NENES – SEEN(spotted) reversed surrounding N(noon) | |
| 9 | Series about advanced trick used by Ned Kelly and his ilk (7) |
| SLENTER – SER(series) surrounding LENT(advanced) | |
| 13 | Cold murder arranged with a certain instrument (10) |
| CHITARRONE – C(cold), HIT(murder), ARR(arranged) and ONE(a certain) | |
| 15 | Clip vehicle, a black one, narrowly missing American (9) |
| CARABINER – CAR(vehicle), A, B(black), I(one) then NEAR(narrowly) without A(American) | |
| 18 | Dance display features little variety for old admiral (7) |
| NAVARCH – NACH(Indian dance display) containing VAR(variety) | |
| 19 | Interest over region’s means (7) |
| INTENDS – INT(interest) on top of END’S(region’s) | |
| 20 | Blast, la vache! Better to split losses ____ (7, two words) |
| A CHEVAL – anagram of LA VACHE | |
| 23 | Bawd mostly admitted to it? It gets you hot and steamy (5) |
| SAUNA – AUNT missing the last letter in SA(it, sex appeal). The connection is bawd -> procuress -> aunt | |
| 24 | Special number to ring on a tablet (5) |
| STELA – S(special), TEL(number to ring, telephone number), A | |
| 26 | One year skate over twenty-nine spring days (5) |
| IYYAR – I(one), Y(year) then RAY(skate) reversed | |
| 27 | Bird that chatters to Scot, mine involves English (4) |
| PIET – PIT(mine) containing E(English) | |
Thanks for your blog George (there were a few I doubt I would have got now that I see them), and best wishes for 2021.
The meaning of A CHEVAL that I know is the one applied particularly to burgers in France. It means ‘with a fried egg on top’, but it’s easy to convince non-French speakers that ‘hamburger à cheval’ means horseburger.