Greetings barred-grid fans!
I found this week’s offering a little trickier than Don Manley’s recent Mephisto puzzles, though I was not helped by confidently putting TOOTS in at 16 across, and another typo in an early down that held up the top half for a long time.
In Mephisto puzzles, definitions (the most direct of which is underlined) can be confirmed in Chambers, so I will focus on wordplay here.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Old Violet, one easily manipulated by church (6) |
| PAWNCE – PAWN(one easily manipulated) next to CE(church) | |
| 5 | Greek mathematician producing some fine stuff (6) |
| PAPPUS – doubled definition – fine hair and the mathematician Pappus of Alexandria. | |
| 10 | Learner in Lincoln with radiance effusing (11) |
| ABECEDARIAN – ABELincoln and an anagram of RADIANCE | |
| 12 | Manfully opposing wild bear with sort of trap (9) |
| BREASTING – anagram of BEAR, then STING (sort of police trap) | |
| 14 | Young player, one that’s solid and dull (6) |
| COLTAN – COLT(young player) and AN(one) | |
| 16 | Noises from angry drivers? I’m annoyed! (5) |
| HOOTS – double definition | |
| 17 | Element of most entertaining show rarely encountered (6) |
| OSTENT – hidden inside mOST ENTertaining | |
| 18 | Grass area by which sits an ignorant fellow (4) |
| ALFA – A(area) next to ALF (an ignorant fellow) | |
| 19 | Relaxed party by an Italian lake (6) |
| COMODO – DO(party) next to lake COMO | |
| 22 | Expression of regret from one in indulgent mode losing daughter (6, two words) |
| IF ONLY – I(one), then FONDLY(in indulgent mode) minus D(daughter) | |
| 25 | You must be occupying doctor as one changing colour (4) |
| DYER – YE(you) inside DR(doctor) | |
| 26 | Source of beef joint when there’s nothing to be eaten (6) |
| ANKOLE – ANKLE(joint) containing O(nothing) | |
| 29 | Tree in US city idiot knocked over (5) |
| NYSSA – NY(US city) then ASS(idiot) reversed | |
| 31 | Journalist cooks bits of certain plants (6) |
| EDDOES – ED(journalist), DOES(cooks) | |
| 32 | Vagrant by old pool to jump up and down (9) |
| TRAMPOLIN – TRAMP(vagrant), next to O(old), LIN(pool) | |
| 33 | I am called to change, becoming member of religious order (11) |
| CAMALDOLITE – anagram of I,AM,CALLED,TO | |
| 34 | A request to keep alcohol-free bringing dubious rebuke (6) |
| ATTASK – A, ASK(request) containing TT(teetotal, alcohol-free) | |
| 35 | What could get molars finally clear possibly? (6) |
| SCALER – anagram of the last letter of molarS and CLEAR | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Fables bringing god-talk to Roman caves (12) |
| PANCHATANTRA – PAN(god), CHAT(talk) and ANTRA(caves in Latin) | |
| 2 | Supply of minimal old money? Much more needed to make you this! (7) |
| WELL-OFF – WELL(supply) OF, then F(Franc, old money) | |
| 3 | Compound of arsenic is something insoluble (7) |
| CERASIN – anagram of ARSENIC | |
| 4 | Garden’s retreat I found in London city area (6) |
| EDENIC – DEN(retreat), I inside EC(London city area) | |
| 6 | Classical art is in a strong position, according to some (5) |
| ARSIS – ARS(art in Latin), IS… the Chambers definition is worth a read! | |
| 7 | Prime minister in hole with time running short (4) |
| PITT – PIT(hole) and T(time, short) | |
| 8 | Power given to senior French revolutionary (5) |
| PAINE – P(power) and AINE(senior in French). Referring to Thomas PAINE of the American revolution | |
| 9 | Bird that could be concealed in grass and heather (12) |
| SAGE-THRASHER -anagram of GRASS and HEATHER | |
| 11 | Collecting what dogs unfortunately leave on heather? (7) |
| POOLING – POO(what dogs unfortunately leave), then LING(heather) | |
| 13 | Potato to be withdrawn, root for extraction (4) |
| ALOO – ALOOF(withdrawn) missing the last letter | |
| 15 | Unexplained sensations a number got with repeated viewings of French art (7) |
| ANOESES – A, NO(number) then ES(art, in French) twice | |
| 20 | Fellow needs medical professional after swallowing one plant (7) |
| MANDIOC – MAN(fellow) then DOC(medical professional) containing I(one). I’ve always seen this as MANIOC, but Chambers has many spellings | |
| 21 | Mineral is oddly crushed (7) |
| DYSODIL – anagram of IS,ODDLY | |
| 23 | Material for old music-hall performer (4) |
| LENO – double definition – the second being the music-hall performer Dan LENO | |
| 24 | Thus gives way and errs, resulting in deadly sin? (6) |
| YIELDS – anagram of DEADLY SIN minus AND | |
| 27 | Tree providing wooden tub for storing rock (5) |
| KIAAT – KIT(wooden tub) containing AA(volcanic rock) | |
| 28 | A slip — wrong units of money (5) |
| LIPAS – anagram of A,SLIP | |
| 30 | Muslims needing something to put off extremists (4) |
| UMMA – SUMMAT(something) missing the outer letters. | |
I really enjoyed this — one day I hope to have an answer for each clue without prior resort to assistance. There are always several words which require proof of life in Chambers after the answer has been found of course.
Re 2d — it could also be supply = well and minimal = (zero) 0 + FF for French francs, n’est-ce pas?
Would 35ac be an &Lit?
I thought the old money in 2dn was a farthing but it doesn’t really matter!
I have no hope of solving a Mephisto without Chambers – in fact I don’t even try. I check most of the unusual words even when I’m sure of the answer. You often find that the definitions in the puzzles refer very specifically to those in Chambers which I always think is neat.