Greetings barred-grid fans.
In creating a grid with a unit commonly used in chemistry, an alchemical term, a form of car racing ridiculously popular in the part of the USA in which I live, and some Aussie slang, I get the feeling Paul McKenna is catering to this audince. Not to mention the pun for NUPTIALS across the top row.
In Mephisto puzzles definitions (the first of which is underlined) can be confirmed in Chambers, so I will focus on wordplay here.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Strangled in a string? Stopped short of Housman’s central point (6) |
| NUBBED – SNUBBED(stopped) minus the central letter of houSman. Fun definition and clue. | |
| 6 | Judge French game rejecting second-rate units (6) |
| JOULES – J(judge) then BOULES(French game) minus B(second-rate). The JOULE is the SI unit of energy. | |
| 10 | Jiggling near piano, left in close harmony with Parisians (9, two words) |
| EN RAPPORT – anagram of NEAR, then P(piano), PORT(left) | |
| 11 | Poet’s previously paltry burn (5) |
| SCALD – triple definition | |
| 12 | Japanese guard loan in spinning appropriate technology (5) |
| TSUBA – SUB(loan) in AT(appropriate technology) reversed | |
| 13 | Lite drink such as this is possibly suitable cold (8, two words) |
| CLUB SODA – anagram of SUITABLE COLD minus LITE | |
| 16 | Champion of Charlemagne being smart about companion (7) |
| PALADIN – PAIN(smart) surrounding LAD(companion) | |
| 17 | Continue admitting playing about for poetic term of reproach (7) |
| RUNNION – RUN ON(continue) containing IN(playing) reversed | |
| 19 | First of zodiac in glossaries wanting brilliance (5) |
| ARIES – GLOSSARIES minus GLOSS(brilliance) | |
| 20 | Be consistent after date and pull hand back (5, two words) |
| ADD UP – AD (after date) and then PUD(hand) reversed | |
| 21 | Thus pitched over vessel’s tank (7) |
| CISTERN – SIC(thus) reversed then TERN(a schooner, vessel) | |
| 23 | Take place beside unusually large hunter (7) |
| BEAGLER – BE(take place) next to an anagram of LARGE | |
| 27 | John Evelyn and Pepys? One’s stepping up for farmers (8) |
| DAIRYMEN – John Evelyn and Samuel Pepys are DIARY MEN… move the I(one) | |
| 28 | Admire head of lovely creature, Indian maybe (5) |
| RATEL – RATE(admire) and the first letter of Lovely | |
| 29 | Gas as before about variable earnings for rep matching plan (5) |
| AZOTE – A(about), Z(variable) then OTE(on-target earnings) | |
| 30 | In the old way vindicate fresh garden air (9) |
| DARRAIGNE – anagram of GARDEN,AIR | |
| 31 | Waited with guys (6) |
| STAYED – double definition, the guys being ropes | |
| 32 | Swirls in red diesel (6) |
| EDDIES – hidden inside rED DIESel | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Name covering a pretty much white-knuckle form of racing (6) |
| NASCAR – N(name) and A, SCARY(white-knuckle) missing the last letter | |
| 2 | Work on dud clue for calm (9) |
| UNCLOUDED – anagram of ON,DUD,CLUE | |
| 3 | Objection surrounding each fine for Mick Dundee, say (5) |
| BEAUT – BUT(objection) surrounding EA(each) | |
| 4 | Village no longer targets seller’s documents for buyers (7) |
| ENDSHIP – ENDS(targets), HIP(home information pack) | |
| 5 | Humble Democrat hoisted flag (5) |
| DROOP – POOR(humble), D(democrat) all reversed | |
| 6 | Preserve fish mostly in muslin (7) |
| JAMDANI – JAM(preserve), DANIO(fish) missing the last letter | |
| 7 | Doctor puts on liberal studies for nouveaux riches (8) |
| UPSTARTS – anagram of PUTS, then ARTS(liberal studies) | |
| 8 | In Scotland quiet loch near inlet with entry obscured (5) |
| LOUND – L(loch) next to SOUND(inlet) missing the first letter | |
| 9 | Spots subs escaping outer reaches of Nimrod (6) |
| STAINS – STAND-INS(subs) missing the outer letters of NimroD | |
| 14 | Seaside feature set up improved not British entertainer (9) |
| PIERRETTE – PIER(seaside feature) and then BETTER(improved) minus B(British) reversed | |
| 15 | Tin being two instances of starting hooliganism in bar-parlour (8) |
| SNUGGERY – SN(tin) replacing the first two letters of THUGGERY(hooliganism). I just finished reading a compilation of Kingsley Amis’ journalism on drinking, and he lauded the snug-rooms of pubs | |
| 18 | A daughter of Tethys, only child to bear poetic identity (7) |
| OCEANID – OC(only child), EAN(to bear), ID(identity) | |
| 19 | Acting straight even if on the beach (7) |
| ASTRAND – A(acting), STR(straight), AND(even if) | |
| 20 | Former approaches could be restyled as B-roads (6) |
| ABORDS – anagram of B-ROADS | |
| 22 | Such as implies a lack of security for group’s pieces? (6) |
| NONETS – a lack of security could be NO NETS | |
| 24 | Fan tracery includes empty spaces (5) |
| ANTRA – hidden inside fAN TRAcery | |
| 25 | Spin surrounding good band of high pressure? (5) |
| RIDGE – RIDE(take a car for a spin), surrounding G(good) | |
| 26 | Ordinary chap rising around noon with one graphic image (5) |
| EMOJI – JOE(ordinary chap) reversed surrounding M(mirideim, noon), then I(one) | |
Agree about the pun.
I must try to remember the pun across the top tradition, though to be fair, NUBBED JOULES is pushing some limits!