Greetings barred-grid fans.
This is a tricky puzzle for wordplay, though there are not that many unusual entries in the grid. I filed out the bottom half first and worked my way up to the top, meaning it wasn’t until near the end that I spotted SPY STORIES as a pun in the top row.
In Mephisto puzzles the definition can be confrmed in Chambers so I will focus on wordplay here.
Away we go!
| Across | |
| 1 | Previously super-punctilious special near pipped (6) |
| SPICED – SP(special) and next to ICED(pipped, killed) | |
| 6 | Oregon snuck in limits for Loyalists (6) |
| TORIES – OR(Oregon) inside TIES(limits) | |
| 10 | Augur is mostly rustic who’d a changing form (10) |
| FORESHADOW – FOREST(rustic) missing the last letter, then an anagram of WHO’D,A | |
| 11 | Woman in newspaper in costly coupling? (8) |
| DRAW-GEAR – a double container – W(woman) inside RAG(newspaper) inside DEAR(costly) | |
| 13 | Sponge divers tire? (5) |
| DIPSO – DIPS(divers) and a tire is shaped like an O | |
| 14 | Intimidating women’s doctor struggles (7) |
| DRAGONS – DR(doctor), AGONS(struggles) | |
| 16 | Lift up sauce boat (5) |
| KETCH – remove UP from KETCHUP(sauce) | |
| 17 | Perhaps philosopher’s stone is fine and acceptable (7) |
| SERICON – ‘S, ERIC(fine) and ON(acceptable) | |
| 19 | Millions invested in auctioning site — it was steep (5) |
| EMBAY – M(millions) inside EBAY(auctioning website) | |
| 21 | Paddy’s bowled over with second flight (5) |
| STEPS – PET’S(paddy’s, rages) reversed, then S(second) | |
| 22 | Vehicle pulling out pinks and races (7) |
| NATIONS – remove CAR(vehicle) from CARNATIONS(pinks) | |
| 24 | Underworld goddess grabbing last of these small stilettos? (5) |
| HEELS – HEL is the goddess, insert the last letter in thesE and then S(small) | |
| 28 | Newly appointed I arrive in warm seaside area (7) |
| RIVIERA – anagram of I,ARRIVE | |
| 29 | Tag left next on murderee (5) |
| LABEL – L(left) next to ABEL(murderee) | |
| 30 | Scots lawyer’s stay sheltering rank diagnostician? (8) |
| SOLIDIST – SIST(stay in law) surrounding OLID(rank) | |
| 31 | Freedom of speech is given by this energy only found in punk (10, two words) |
| MUTE BUTTON – E(energy) and BUT(only) inside MUTTON(punk, prostitute) | |
| 32 | Sprite gambolling in some ferns (6) |
| PTERIS – anagram of SPRITE | |
| 33 | ’Ercules, eg, in closing letter is set to love (6) |
| ZEROED – ‘Ercules is an ‘ERO, inside ZED(last letter of the alphabet) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Mayday inviting in count’s dull bods (6) |
| SADDOS – SOS(mayday) containing ADD(count) | |
| 2 | Sophocles’ swift swing exercises excellent Teian — almost (10) |
| PERIPETEIA – PE(exercises), RIPE(excellent), then most of TEIAn | |
| 3 | Neat bloomer that perfumes pastures (7) |
| COWSLIP – COW(neat), SLIP(bloomer, gaffe) | |
| 4 | Mitsotakis’s business is therefore back from oblivion (5) |
| ERGON – ERGO(therefore) and the last letter in oblivioN | |
| 5 | Acts damn politely with those kettling demonstrators (5) |
| DEEDS – DEE(damn) and the outer letters in DemonstratorS | |
| 6 | Sovereign Troy has a queen in Hecuba finally (7) |
| TSARINA – T(troy), ‘S, A, R(queen), IN and rhe last letter of hecubA | |
| 7 | Variety of forbidden fruit (5) |
| RANGE – remove O(of) from ORANGE(fruit) | |
| 8 | On which we watch innocent present? (8, two words) |
| IDIOT BOX – IDIOT(innocent), BOX(present) | |
| 9 | Being inclined to swinging, wife is caught in fling (6) |
| SWISHY – W(wife) and IS inside SHY(fling) | |
| 12 | Engineering and science radiate a glowing warmth (10) |
| INCANDESCE – anagram of AND,SCIENCE | |
| 15 | Open option in vers libre (except Irish or the equivalent) (8, two words) |
| FREE VOTE – vers libre is FREE VERSE. Remove ERSE(Irish) and add OTE(or the equivalent) | |
| 18 | Heavy South African men nailing notoriously cruel despot (7) |
| ONEROUS – OUS(South African men) containing NERO(despot) | |
| 20 | Viewpoint echoed in speech that offers an alternative (7) |
| MIRADOR – sounds lied MIRRORED(echoed) then OR(an alternative) | |
| 21 | Small chap’s title showering respect on frequenter of SW1? (6) |
| SHRIMP – SHRI(title showering respect) on MP(a frequenter of SW1) | |
| 23 | Nuts lasted as they’re ____ (6) |
| SALTED – anagram of LASTED. the dashed line indicating the anwer | |
| 25 | I’m unlikely to get out rifle which has been discharged (5) |
| LIFER – anagram of RIFLE | |
| 26 | Informally go trapping a lieutenant — go easy (5) |
| WALTZ – WAZ(go, urinate) containing LT(lieutenant) | |
| 27 | Beet is British and low in calories (5) |
| BLITE – B(british) and LITE(low in calories) | |
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