Mephisto 3226 – Seth would be proud!

Author   vinyl1Posted on Categories Mephisto

It’s always a pleasure to get a Don Manley puzzle – at least I know I won’t be beating my brains out over how the clue works.  Manley must know Chambers inside out, because everything he uses can be found in exactly the place you would expect to find it in that big red book.     However, one of the problems with being a Mephisto blogger is that you parse the clue when you solve it, but by the time the following Sunday rolls around you have completely forgotten how you did it.    Nothing is more annoying than knowing you solved a clue, but not being able to explain it in the blog.   Thankfully, I have managed to dredge up everything I knew a week ago.

Across
1 Country house tea served after short time (6)
DATCHA – DAT[e] + CHA, a variant spelling, but a fairly simple one.
5 Gate-like structures in harbour attended by copper once (6)
PORTAS – PORT + AS, a Roman copper coin.
10 English author with Eastern dress (9)
TROLLOPEE – TROLLOPE + E, presumably not worn in Barsetshire.
12 Maybe saw one disappearing in mountain range (5)
SERRA – S[i]ERRA, presumably serrated.
13 Model meeting sailor? One has long neck and rounded body (6)
SITTAR – SIT + TAR, another variant spelling.
14 Paintings fine? Scores done badly (7)
FRESCOS -Anagram of F + SCORES.
15 Goddess knocking over a helper (5)
DIANA – AN AID backwards.
17 Is it not common pub with sort of appeal? (5)
INNIT – INN + IT, my FOI.
18 Argumentative type given Jewish title, say (8)
REBUTTER – REB + UTTER.
21 Chaotic infant left with husband is to be tucked in (8)
BABELISH – BABE + L + IS + H.
26 The first person to penetrate island in old Greek region (5)
IONIA – ION(I)A, another very simple one.
28 Sweat pouring out round a lowly Indian (5)
SUDRA -SUD[o]R + A, the classical Greek word for sweat, so easy for me.
29 Criminal trial because of drug (7)
RITALIN -Anagram of TRIAL + IN.
30 What salon offers is a horrid cut, not right! (6)
HAIRDO – Anagram of A HOR[r]ID.
31 Plant in India blocking minor road (5)
LIANE – L(I)ANE, another simple one.
32 One swimming in Trent disturbed a fish (9, two words)
NEON TETRA – Anagram of ONE inside anagram of TRENT + A.
33 I had written about romance in the abstract (6)
DIGEST – I’D backward + GEST.
34 More than one model is securing business arrangement (6)
IDEALS – I(DEAL)S.
Down
1 Fantastic friends hid us, no longer destitute (12)
DISFURNISHED – Anagram of FRIENDS HID US.   No longer in the sense of archaic.
2 Had sin arisen on the ground? (6, two words)
A TERRE – ATE + ERR upside-down.
3 Poet’s body making rude sound (5)
CORSE -Sounds like COARSE, when the poet can’t spell.
4 Writer’s bed secured by key (6)
ALCOTT -AL(COT)T, not the first author who comes to mind nowadays.
5 Group traversing island to find place down under (6)
POSSIE – POSS(I)E.
6 Concerning Thatcher’s shortened dictum, it helps to build up an image (6)
RETINA – RE + TINA – There Is No Alternative!
7 Resembling an illness for which antidote would be inappropriate (8)
TETANOID – Anagram of ANTIDOTE.
8 One name for an African country, or one expelling a couple of odd characters (6)
AZANIA – [t]A[n]ZANIA – not all the odd characters, just a couple!
9 Irritating feature of nasty scar with itch on top of head? (12)
SCRATCHINESS – Anagram of SCAR + ITCH on top of NESS.
11 Work with fabric of pillar outside church (5)
LACET – LA(C.E.)T.
16 No longer resigning from a group in government (8)
ABANDING – A BAND + IN + G.
19 Tree in old Arab territory planted in deficient ground (6)
SOUARI – SO(UAR)I[l], the United Arab Republic, not united for long.
20 Address for man — retires after work, having time to waste (6)
SIRREE – Anagram of RE[t]IRES.
22 Man coming in behind in the van (6)
AFRONT – AF(RON)T, where Ron is today’s random man.
23 Indian water-carrier upsetting British when river has dried up? (6)
BHISTI – Anagram of B[r]ITISH.
24 Jock’s intent is to tidy up when female has gone (5)
ETTLE – [f]ETTLE, easily biffable if you know the word.
25 Backbone’s twisting movement — trouble with one falling (6)
SPINAL – SPIN + A[i]L.
27 Archbishop’s imprisoned envoy lingered endlessly (5)
WAITE – WAITE[d].   Terry Waite, I believe, who is still alive.

4 comments on “Mephisto 3226 – Seth would be proud!”

  1. One very minor -not to say pedantic – amendment: SUDOR is Latin, not Greek. (But V. knew that.)

  2. All done and, I see from the blog, correctly parsed in less than 45 minutes… that comes in just right for me. I’d forgotten Thatcher’s maxim of “There is no alternative”. Thank-you Don and V.

  3. Pretty direct solve. Did not know Terry Waite, but wordplay left no alternative.

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