I found this one tricky, particularly as I was looking to confirm everything in advance of writing up the blog – there are a few biffable from definition.
I am not 100% on what is hidden in the top row, but I think it is a pun on something that my bicycle seems to specialize in (well not at the moment, I need a new tube for my front tire.
In Mephisto puzzles, definitions (the most direct of which I have underlined) can be confirmed in Chambers, so I will focus on wordplay here.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Batter’s inclination is to bound along (5) |
| SLOPE – ‘S, LOPE(bound along) with two definitions | |
| 5 | Clinch with dear buckaroo (7) |
| PUNCHER – PUN(clinch – 6th definition of pun as a noun) and CHER(dear) | |
| 10 | Restaurant’s exciting duck treat? Hearts moved (11) |
| EATING-HOUSE – HEATING(exciting), O(duck) and USE(treat) with the H(hearts) moved | |
| 12 | Unsupported appeal for more sporadic visits? (8) |
| STAYLESS – if you wanted visits to be more sporadic, you might ask someone to STAY LESS | |
| 13 | Fret loads on the way back (4) |
| STOP – POTS(loads, large amounts of) reversed | |
| 14 | Repeat search has bewildered (5, two words) |
| AT SEA – hidden inside repeAT SEArch | |
| 16 | God, one’s ripped (8) |
| IMMORTAL – I’M(ones), RIPPED(mortal, drunk) | |
| 18 | Investigative methods jade back in old Argentina (6) |
| ORGANA – NAG(Shakespearean term for jade) reversed inside O(old), RA(Republic of Argentina) | |
| 19 | Now disused “loads with fat” sadly means embracing recipe (6) |
| ENARMS – anagram of MEANS containing R(recipe) | |
| 21 | Society root out source of poison? (6) |
| SPURGE – S(society), PURGE(root out) | |
| 23 | News article about uniform being motty? (6) |
| STOURY – STORY(news article) containing U(uniform) | |
| 24 | Old grey, one on gluttony say, gets trattoria’s nibbles (8) |
| GRISSINI – GRIS(grey), then I(one) after SIN(gluttony, say) | |
| 26 | Gods of the north found by a westerly tower (5) |
| AESIR – A, then RISE(tower) reversed | |
| 28 | Swindle lieutenant being a plonker (4) |
| DOLT – DO(swindle), LT(lieutenant) | |
| 29 | Honest female borders on literally becoming a pest (8) |
| WHITEFLY – WHITE(honest), F(female) and the external letters of LiterallY | |
| 30 | Answer comment unfavourably with licentious loopiness? (11, three words) |
| A SLATE LOOSE – A(answer), SLATE(comment unfavorably) and LOOSE(licentious) | |
| 31 | I’ll push along reforming his merry minstrels (7) |
| RHYMERS – remove I from HIS,MERRY and anagram | |
| 32 | Getafix’s second secret spell about to serve some use (5) |
| ENURE – second letter of gEtafix and RUNE reversed. For those that missed the reference, Getafix makes the magic strength potion in the Asterix the Gaul comix | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Sibling that’s cut down, well, outsize trees (7) |
| SISSOOS – SIS(sibling), SO(well), OS(outsize) | |
| 2 | Who checks on president opening from suggested text? (11) |
| LETTERPRESS – LETTER(checker, hinderer), PRES(president), and the first letter in Suggested | |
| 3 | Part for hot plug having excessive holes? (5) |
| P-TYPE – PT(part) replacing H(hot) in HYPE(plug). Referring to a semiconductor doped with a low-valent species | |
| 4 | Fuels for Scots I singled out (8) |
| EILDINGS – anagram of I,SINGLED | |
| 5 | Cougar possessing born spirit (6) |
| PNEUMA – PUMA(cougar) containing NE(born) | |
| 6 | Muso, eg, rolls up being no more disgusting (6) |
| UGSOME – anagram of MUSO,EG | |
| 7 | Damage abandoned seashore? (4) |
| COST – double definition | |
| 8 | Local barrel organ’s to be busily active above Queer Street (8) |
| HUMSTRUM – HUM(to be busily active) then RUM(queer) with ST(street) above | |
| 9 | Small organ’s preposterous wallop (5) |
| REGAL – LAGER(wallop) reversed | |
| 11 | Forcibly overwhelm via more stellar changes (11) |
| STEAMROLLER – anagram of MORE,STELLAR | |
| 15 | With no new agony left, finally Peggy is in a feverish way (8) |
| AGUISHLY – remove N(new) from ANGUISH(agony), then L(left) and the last letter of peggY | |
| 17 | Eagerly expecting subject to lean towards English (8, two words) |
| ON TIPTOE – ON(subject to), then TIP(lean) TO(towards) E(English) | |
| 20 | Small yard near kind architect’s upright structure (7) |
| SYSTYLE – S(small), Y(yard) and STYLE(kind) | |
| 22 | One of two is confused here admitting ne plus ultra? (6) |
| EITHER – anagram of HERE containing IT(ne plus ultra, the ultimate) | |
| 23 | Son pins down old euphemistic outburst (6) |
| ‘SNAILS – S(son), NAILS(pins down) | |
| 24 | River south of Mediterranean city produces stiff fabric (5) |
| GAZAR – R(river) after GAZA(Mediterranean city) | |
| 25 | With God in agreeable concert hall (5) |
| ODEON – DEO(with God) inside ON(agreeable) | |
| 27 | One heading for mosque before noon (4) |
| IMAM – I(one), first letter of Mosque and AM(before noon) | |
I found this quite tricky too, and I agree about the (delightfully awful) pun across the top.
Yep, very tricky. Admittedly I don’t do Mephistos regularly but I only finished this one this morning, after a week of what you would call hunting and pecking, George.
I thought 1a had something to do with cricket until I saw your comment that there were 2 defs, the I realised I knew batter as the slope of the opposing sides of a dry stone wall. I went on a course a few years ago, then made my own “batter frame” to get the slope right and built a bit of wall in our garden.
Thanks for the blog, needed to understand LETTERPRESS, ENURE and ORGANA.