Greetings barred-grid fans.
Excellent puzzle here from Don Manley, with very clear wordplay for the more obscure entries. 20 in particulatly had me wondering if it was truly a word from the wordplay, but yes indeed it was.
In Mephisto puzzles, definitions can be confirmed by Chambers, so I will be focusing on wordplay here.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Support excellent social event (7) |
| AIDANCE – A1(excellent), DANCE(social event) | |
| 6 | Relationship of power that restricts little American nerd (5) |
| DWEEB – DB(decibel, relationship of power of sound), containing WEE(little) | |
| 10 | Movement in painting surprisingly rare with tight content (8, two words) |
| ART AUTRE – anagram of RARE containing TAUT(tight) | |
| 11 | Rebellion in university — Paris trounced by Left (7) |
| UPRISAL – U(university), then an anagram of PARIS, L(left) | |
| 12 | What sounds like containers made of fabric or paper (4) |
| SAXE – sounds like SACKS(containers made of fabric) | |
| 13 | Witty remark about army officer (5) |
| SALTY – SAY(remark) surrounding LT(army officer) | |
| 14 | Heroic struggling — one won’t succeed alone (6) |
| CO-HEIR – anagram of HEROIC | |
| 15 | Some castle’s carpenter works in part of the fortifications (6) |
| ESCARP – hidden inside castlES CARPenter | |
| 20 | French songstress coming to her conclusion with good moving on the spot (8) |
| PIAFFING – the French songstress is Edith PIAF, then FIN(conclusion in French), G(good) | |
| 21 | No longer shining and fresh, having to admit fortune half gone (8) |
| RELUCENT – RECENT(fresh) containing half of LUck | |
| 25 | Old Mark and Bill in horse-drawn vehicle (6) |
| CARACT – AC(bill) inside CART(horse-drawn vehicle) | |
| 27 | Bed of no use whatever for fish (6) |
| COTTUS – COTT(bed), US(unserviceable, of no use whatsoever) | |
| 28 | Old torch placed on a small support, we hear (5) |
| TEADE – sounds like TEED(put on a small support in golf) | |
| 30 | Wild animal in grass rolling over, acting (4) |
| EYRA – RYE(grass) reversed, then A(acting) | |
| 31 | Bishop involved in what could be Oxford dispute — it’s hairy (7) |
| UNIBROW – B(bishop) inside what could be a UNI ROW(Oxford dispute) | |
| 32 | Mad ploys to divert from what traditional church choirs sing? (8) |
| PSALMODY – anagram of MAD,PLOYS | |
| 33 | Outrush of gum (5) |
| SALLY – double definition | |
| 34 | Medical manipulator may want to get this plant (7) |
| BONESET – a medical manipulator might want to get a BONE SET | |
| Down | |
| 1 | A goddess to beguile (5) |
| AMUSE – A, MUSE(goddess) | |
| 2 | Gave lots of colour to former journalist’s claim (8) |
| IMPASTED – the former journalist might claim I’M PAST ED | |
| 3 | Vibration of daughter, lass no good (4) |
| DIRL – D(daughter) then GIRL(lass) minus G(good) | |
| 4 | Grandparent’s no longer adult very important (6) |
| AVITAL – A(adult), VITAL(very important) | |
| 5 | Suffering more as athlete in the heat? Crowd support needed (8) |
| CRAMPIER – CRAM(crod | |
| 6 | Always getting stick in lift when one isn’t working (6, two words) |
| DAY OFF – AY(always) inside DOFF(lift) | |
| 7 | In Chinese practice not all show us humanity (5, two words) |
| WUSHU – hidden inside shoW US HUmanity | |
| 8 | A tree tangled up, one with round fruit (7) |
| ETAERIO – anagram of A,TREE then I(one), O(round) | |
| 9 | Busy type with hot temper in the drinks industry (7) |
| BEERAGE – a busy BEE with RAGE(hot temper) | |
| 16 | Chap is able to perform, fading away (8) |
| MANCANDO – MAN(chap), CAN DO (is able to perform) | |
| 17 | One acted in play providing pithy narrative (8) |
| ANECDOTE – anagram of ONE,ACTED | |
| 18 | Part of body in church in Tours (7) |
| TRICEPS – CE(church) inside TRIPS(tours) | |
| 19 | See track with one left out on a wing (7) |
| ELYTRAL – ELY(see) and then TRIAL(track) missing I(one) | |
| 22 | Worthless sort of cow (6) |
| CRUMMY – double definition | |
| 23 | Church singer to quiver? Mass must be avoided (6) |
| TREBLE – TREMBLE(quiver) missing M(mass) | |
| 24 | Evasive manoeuvre in miner’s working area? (5) |
| STALL – double definition | |
| 26 | The first person about to be entertained by one bird or another (5) |
| TEWIT – WE(the first person) inside TIT(a bird) | |
| 29 | Ploughs once used in part of Northern Ireland (4) |
| ARDS – double definition, the second being the North Downs. | |
PIAFFING was no problem to the father of a daughter who’s into horses. Never heard of MANCANDO. Morendo is more usual in music.