Greetings, barred-grid fans.
This week Robert Teuton has given us a good puzzle for wordplay, lots of unusual-looking words with clearly-indicated wordplay elements, a good Sunday morning work out (I was back to my usual guzzling coffee and doing puzzles Sunday morning routine).
In Mephisto puzzles, definitions can be confirmed in Chambers, so I will focus on wordplay here. I’ll underline the definition that appeared the most direct to me.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Stone Scriptures reflecting end of the world (8) |
| RAGNAROK – RAG(a rough stone, third header in Chambers), then KORAN(scriptures) reversed | |
| 7 | Fancied chestnut horse pulled up before the last (4) |
| FAVE – FAVEL(chestnut horse) missing the last letter | |
| 10 | What Cheshire cat may do drinking milk with a feral cat (9) |
| GRIMALKIN – GRIN(what the Cheshire cat may do in Through the Looking Glass) containing an anagram of MILK and A | |
| 11 | End of film’s cracking virtuoso climax (4) |
| ACME – last letter of filM inside ACE(virtuoso) | |
| 13 | Regulations about new places for maths? (5) |
| LAWNS – LAWS(regulations) surrounding N(new). MATHS in this case means mowing | |
| 14 | Hint of tension in scrap over historically high prices (6) |
| DERTHS – first letter of Tension inside SHRED(scrap) reversed. Found in Chambers under DEARTH | |
| 15 | Antelope in SA reserve around edges of scrub (6) |
| BOSBOK – BOOK(reserve) surrounding the external letters of ScruB | |
| 16 | Mushroom exploded, cap splitting into small pieces (7) |
| BLEWITS – BLEW(exploded) minus the first letter inside BITS(small pieces) | |
| 19 | Old dear I evaluate’s progressing by leaps and bounds (10) |
| SALTIGRADE – SALT(expensive, dear, old), I, GRADE(evaluate) | |
| 20 | Kids freak out about taste of lamb meatballs (10) |
| FRIKKADELS – anagram of KIDS,FREAK surrounding the first letter of Lamb | |
| 24 | Fancy dress expressed on delivery (7) |
| FIGMENT – FIG(dress) then sounds like MEANT(expressed) | |
| 25 | Constrained by space so I took back surplus (6) |
| OTIOSE – hidden reversed in spacE TO I TOok | |
| 26 | In Orkney on vacation Earl lost large cravat (6) |
| O’ERLAY – external letters of OrkneY containing an anagram of EARL | |
| 28 | Expression of surprise after family’s held back marriage ceremony (5) |
| NIKAH – AH(expression of surprise) after KIN(family) reversed | |
| 29 | Old quay, one that is on far side of lock (4) |
| KAIE – A(one), IE(that is) after the last letter in locK | |
| 30 | Rum I put back in dunny entirely for Jean (9, three words) |
| TOUT A FAIT – TAFIA(rum) with the I moved to the end inside TOUT(toilet, dunny) | |
| 31 | Show contempt right away once cut (4) |
| SNEE – SNEER(show contempt) minus R(right) | |
| 32 | Upper room’s covered with book storage (8) |
| SOLANDER – SOLER(upper room, found under SOLAR in Chambers) surrounding AND(with) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Deliver housing close to Casablanca … this? (4) |
| RIAD – RID(deliver) containing the last letter in CasablancA | |
| 2 | A-lister cut back supply after current upping of speed (12) |
| ACCELERATION – CELEB(A-lister) minus the last letter, then RATION(supply) after AC current | |
| 3 | Do rinse mug, it contains mixture of solidified liquids (8, two words) |
| GUM RESIN – anagram of RINSE MUG | |
| 4 | Need this processed for a red — lichen? (6) |
| ARCHIL -anagram of A,RED,LICHEN minus NEED | |
| 5 | Elaborate feast just leaving us stuffed in Indonesia and Holland essentially? (10) |
| RIJSTTAFEL – anagram of FEAST and JUST minus US inside RI(Republic of Indonesia) and the middle letter of HolLand | |
| 6 | Bat with spirit throughout the whole time (6) |
| KALONG – KA(spirit) and LONG(throughout the whole time, as in year long) | |
| 7 | Mo Farah’s leader to beat (5) |
| FLASH – first letter of Farah and LASH(beat). Couldn’t remember who Mo Farah is… he is a distance runner | |
| 8 | Plonk oneself in a drive-in, Psycho (about Norman) (12, two words) |
| VIN ORDINAIRE – anagram of I(oneself) in an anagram of A,DRIVE, IN, also containing NOR(Norman) | |
| 9 | Youngster filled with energy after being made cloud-kissing? (7) |
| ENSKIED – KID(youngster) containing E(energy) after ENS(being) | |
| 12 | Love Island bio revised in relation to beleaguerment (10) |
| OBSIDIONAL – O(love), then an anagram of ISLAND,BIO | |
| 17 | Ruffian lad bears rusty dagger (8) |
| BASELARD – anagram of LAD,BEARS | |
| 18 | Briefs make ours yours after this? (7) |
| Y-FRONTS – if Y FRONTS ours, it becomes yours | |
| 21 | When drawn in by taste of Kellogg’s eats cereals (6) |
| KASHAS – AS(when) inside the first letter of Kellogg’s and HAS(eats) | |
| 22 | Female adviser, one eager to be prepared (6) |
| EGERIA – anagram of I(one), EAGER | |
| 23 | Quote in Shakespeare delivered by Francisco at Elsinore (5) |
| COATE – hidden inside FrancisCO AT Elsinore | |
| 27 | Cohort in school finally pay attention (4) |
| YEAR – last letter in paY, EAR(attention) | |
I was able to solve this one without too much difficulty. I knew a surprising number of the obscure words – this must come from years of Mephisto-solving. I managed to remember Ragnorak, and I also knew blewits, otiose, rijstaffel, riad, and Egeria. This sort of vocabulary expedites one’s solve, and I polished off the puzzle in one sitting.
Finished correctly again. One or two I didn’t understand their constructions, thanks for the explanations. All is clear now. I should have got blewits much earlier as the are one of my favourite mushrooms which I’ve picked from my garden. OERLAY gave me real problem. Finally found it under OVERLAY in Chamber’s and in the SND but not the OED.
Very straightforward, but some smooth surfaces, and one or two neat red herrings.