Greetings, barred-grid fans.
I found this one tricky, and definitely a few notches up from the first few Robert Teuton puzzles. If you trust the wordplay, most of the unusual terms are clear.
In Mephisto puzzles, definitions (the most direct, according to me, is underlined) can be confirmed in Chambers, so I will focus on wordplay here.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Gem set tight in a hollow (7) |
| ASTERIA – anagram of SET in A, RIA(hollow) | |
| 6 | Collar about the same as veil? (5) |
| NIQAB – NAB(collar) surrounding IQ(idem quod, the same as) | |
| 11 | Scottish Wanderer at home hit three in drubbing (11) |
| RINTHEREOUT -IN(at home) and an anagram of THREE inside ROUT(drubbing) | |
| 13 | Explosive end to barbecue after drunk returns having left earlier (7) |
| LYDDITE – last letter of barbecuE after TIDDLY(drunk) reversed with the L(left) at the front | |
| 14 | Bask extravagantly around luxury carriages (8) |
| BRITZKAS – anagram of BASK surrounding RITZ(luxury) | |
| 16 | A king running even parts of Kildare? (5) |
| ARDRI – A, R(king) and an anagram of alternating letters in kIlDaRe | |
| 17 | Old school with covering of persistent mould (6) |
| SCULPT – SCUL(school) and the external letters in PersistenT | |
| 18 | Finish off beer and knock back a new bottle (6) |
| LAGENA – remove the last letter from LAGER(beer) and then A, N(new) reversed | |
| 20 | Close to Tories getting small swing in Scotland (4) |
| SWEE – last letter of torieS, and WEE(small) | |
| 21 | Birds section moved to back of store (4) |
| AVES – move S(section) to the end of SAVE(store) | |
| 23 | Buck’s Fizz largely lip-sync Heart of Stone with oomph (6) |
| MIMOSA – remove the last letter of MIME(lip-sync), then the middle letter of stOne, and SA(sex appeal, oomph) | |
| 25 | Italy international capturing knight with rook by acting on impulse (6, two words) |
| IN RIXA – I(italy), and I(international) containing N(knight) and R(rook), then X(by, multiplied by), A(acting) | |
| 27 | Piles brought back some misery perhaps (5) |
| PYRES – hidden reversed in miSERY Perhaps | |
| 29 | Woefully caught in stream inside well (8) |
| ABJECTLY – C(caught) inside JET(stream) inside ABLY(well) | |
| 31 | Secret meetings? Don’t get caught in embraces with husband (7) |
| HUDDLES – remove C(caught) from CUDDLES(embraces) after H(husband) | |
| 32 | Disapprovingly watch ladies perhaps serve out-of-date mouldy cakes round back of canteen (11, two words) |
| LOOK ASKANCE – LOO(ladies, perhaps), KA(old term for serve) and an anagram of CAKES surrounding the last letter in canteeN | |
| 33 | Noodles making jazzy sound (5) |
| UDONS – anagram of SOUND | |
| 34 | Move location to contain onset of panicky breathing (7) |
| RESPITE – RESITE(move location) containing the first letter in Panicky | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Those trying to stay on the wagon about to turn over wagon? (5) |
| AROBA – AA(those trying to stay on the wagon) surrounding ROB(turn over) | |
| 2 | Backing a small local branch to stock right range (6) |
| SIERRA – A, REIS(small branch in dialect) reversed surrounding R(right) | |
| 3 | Not good to knock state of France (4) |
| ETAT – remove G(good) from GET AT(knock) | |
| 4 | In river spot almost root-like structure (7) |
| RHIZINE – the RHINE river containing ZIT(spot) minus the last letter | |
| 5 | Use part of friary as a major religious school (9, two words) |
| ARYA SAMAJ – hidden in friARY AS A MAJor | |
| 7 | How I may be described is receiving a lot of stink (6) |
| IODOUS – IS containing ODOUR(stink) minus the last letter. I is referring to the element iodine here | |
| 8 | Plants will grow back after deadheading and cutting leaves (10) |
| QUILLWORTS – ‘LL(will) and GROW reversed minus the first letter inside QUITS(leaves) | |
| 9 | Leaves for Thatchers aiming to taste apple products primarily (5) |
| ATTAP – first letters of Aiming To Taste Apple Products | |
| 10 | What’ll give a buzz after exercising right away, Bovril? (7, two words) |
| BEEFTEA – BEE(what will give a buzz) then an anagram of AFTER minus R(right) | |
| 12 | Performed awful dirge on old instrument (10) |
| DIDGERIDOO – DID(performed) then an anagram of DIRGE, O(on), O(old) | |
| 15 | Cute Aussie being left in karaoke bar knocking out Wings hit (9, two words) |
| KOALA BEAR – L(left) inside an anagram of KARAOKE BAR minus the external letters (K and R) | |
| 18 | Hamilton’s shy, it’s not all his fault sadly (7) |
| LAITHFU’ – anagram of HIS, FAULT minus the last letter | |
| 19 | What punters fix to start to rake in huge amounts (7) |
| RIPECKS – first letters of Rake and In then PECKS (huge amounts of pickled peppers) | |
| 22 | Wrong to provide conclusion for Turin shroud (6) |
| SINDON – SIN(wrong), DO(provide) and the last letter of turiN | |
| 24 | Prime time star’s making a comeback leaving Britain (6) |
| SELECT – T(time) and CELEB’S(star’s) reversed minus B(britain) | |
| 26 | Old ’un’s aggrieved once refused (5) |
| NOULD – anagram of OLD,UN | |
| 28 | Chauffeur given tip for excursion, silver money (5) |
| SYCEE – SYCE(chauffeur) and the first letter of Excursion | |
| 30 | It’s hard to get nicked by better shaver (4) |
| CHAP – H(hard) inside CAP(better) | |
Yes, the two new Mephistos are stepping up their game a little, probably egged on by the editor. This one definitely kept me busy plying my Chambers, but fortunately a few key answers like didgeridoo, niqab, and koala bear were eminently biffable. Also, this grid does not leave many initial letters unchecked, and answers like ripecks and abjectly weren’t going to give much trouble.
So I worked my way around the grid fairly well, and finished in one sitting.
Lots of very nice and smooth surfaces, and some clever stuff – the reference to Lewis Hamilton in 18d, and TURIN doing double duty in 22d. 33a would have been better with a comma after NOODLES, I feel. It’s a pity there’s not a current Scottish Wanderers football team, which would have been neat, but there was a Glasgow Wanderers.
I found this pretty easy, done and dusted in a shade under 25 minutes. This week’s was much harder!