Greetings and happy Hallowe’en barred-grid fans. I know it is silly, but I rather like the US obsession with this time of year featuring costumed kids collecting treats and adults getting drunk while playing dress-up. I’m joining in, having cribbed together all the pieces to reproduce Bela Lugosi’s staircase entrance in Dracula – white bow tie, tuxedo shirt, lined cape, medallion, and powder makeup.
I made a bit of a meal of this one originally, being convinced that 16 was LASSA without checking to see if it was even a word. Eventually saw the error of my ways.
In Mephisto puzzles, definitions (the most obvious of which is underlined) can be confirmed in Chambers, so I will concentrate on wordplay here.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Once VAT is settled there’s little money (7) |
| CENTAVO – anagram of ONCE,VAT | |
| 6 | Article about large Mediterranean units (5) |
| ARTAL – ART(article), A(about), L(large) | |
| 10 | Wine safe appeared short of depth (10) |
| PETER-SEE-ME – PETER(safe) then SEEMED(appeared) minus D(depth) | |
| 11 | I learn about acting script of old (7, two words) |
| LINEAR A – anagram of I,LEARN then A(acting) | |
| 13 | Long or short note switching halves (4) |
| ITCH – the short note is a CHIT, switch the pairs of letters | |
| 14 | Lessor to fund housing to some extent (6, two words) |
| SORT OF – hidden inside lesSOR TO Fund | |
| 15 | Anticipated bother arose between fellow and wife (7) |
| FORESAW – anagram of AROSE between F(fellow) and W(wife) | |
| 16 | Heading for loss, fool accepted ancient vase (5) |
| DIOTA – remove the first letter of IDIOT(fool), A(accepted) | |
| 20 | Quantity of fish and booze for house in loch (7) |
| CRANNOG – CRAN(quantity of fish) and NOG(booze) | |
| 22 | Reject damn plover (7) |
| KILLDEE – KILL(reject), DEE(damn) | |
| 24 | River, one flanking the centre of Dinan? (5) |
| RANCE – R(river) and ACE(one) surrounding the middle letter of diNan. A nice all-in-one, the river does originate near Dinan | |
| 25 | Cobbled roads produce extremes of horsey clip-clops (7) |
| CAUSEYS – CAUSE(produce) and the last letters of horseY clip-clopS | |
| 28 | Immigrants so far retaining right to take property (6) |
| ALIENS – AS(so far) containing LIEN(right to take property) | |
| 30 | Indian bread with no end of ghee in small part of it (4) |
| PICE – remove the last letter of gheE from PIECE(a part of it) | |
| 31 | Corrupt Frenchman’s quick to conceal potentially serious attack (7) |
| VITIATE – VITE(quick in French) containing TIA(transient ischaemic attack) | |
| 32 | Politician to organise a rebellion? (10) |
| NEOLIBERAL – anagram of A,REBELLION | |
| 33 | Lent long ignored is relaxed (5) |
| EASED – LEASED(lent) minus L(long) | |
| 34 | Stupid dropping in without support (7) |
| BRALESS – BRAINLESS(stupid) minus IN | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Muslim leader in American state briefly (5) |
| CALIF – double definition – CALIF being the postal abbreviation for California before the two-letter system was introduced in 1963 | |
| 2 | In which mostly Tory dailies bluster (10) |
| EDITORIALS – anagram of TORy DAILIES | |
| 3 | Shirt present right away causing a laugh (6) |
| TEE-HEE – TEE shirt and HERE(present) missing R(right) | |
| 4 | Trees with bark cut off in one section (5) |
| ATAPS – TAPA(mulberry bark) missing the last letter inside A(one), S(section) | |
| 5 | French poetry associated with outstanding fashion designer (7) |
| VERSACE – VERS(poetry in French) and ACE(outstanding). for the designer Giovanni (or several of his family) | |
| 6 | American Express tackling government department’s bad spirit (7) |
| ASMODAY – A(American), SAY(express) containing MOD(Ministry of Defence) | |
| 7 | Position behind in lavatory at school (4) |
| REAR – double definition | |
| 8 | Silver coins fixed up? Lots (7) |
| TESTONS – SET(fixed) reversed, then TONS(lots) | |
| 9 | Open country has fine mature greenery (7) |
| LEAFAGE – LEA(open country), F(fine), AGE(mature) | |
| 12 | Mole organised short contest involving Irish Catholic (10) |
| NOTORYCTES – anagram of CONTESt containing TORY(Irish Catholic) | |
| 17 | By the sound of it you stretch out in the country (7) |
| UKRAINE – sounds like YOU CRANE(stretch out) | |
| 18 | They affect climate change on lines being developed (7, two words) |
| EL NINOS – anagram of ON,LINES | |
| 19 | A study of papers relating to glands (7) |
| ADENOID – A, DEN(study) O(of), ID(papers) | |
| 21 | Note one England soccer defender is more available (7) |
| READIER – RE(musical note), I(one) and then the soccer player Eric DIER. Never heard of him, thankfully the definition left no alternative | |
| 23 | Observation from palisade worked, air defence excepted (6) |
| ESPIAL – anagram of PALISADE minus AD(air defence) | |
| 26 | Extremist sect caught out leading to criminal charge quietly dropped (5) |
| ULTRA – CULT(sect) missin C(caught) then RAP(criminal charge) missing P(quiet) | |
| 27 | Tries to get religious Indians on the radio (5) |
| SEEKS – homophone of SIKHS(religious Indians) | |
| 29 | Peddler cutting margins is arguably wicked (4) |
| EALE – remove the outer letters of dEALEr (peddler). An entry worth reading in Chambers. | |
Edited at 2021-10-31 09:40 am (UTC)
Anyway, I tried and failed to finish the puzzle in one sitting, but eventually gave up with a few undone. Coming back the next day, I saw quite a few more answers, as usually happens – crannog and diota were suddenly obvious. But it was not until Wednesday when I cracked Rance – that can’t be a river, can it? Yes, Rance is in France! I could have looked at a map, but you’re supposed to work out the cryptic.