Greetings, barred-grid fans.
I was on the verge of sending a message to our beloved leader asking if he could write this up or I could get an extension. I’m in one of the worst-hit areas of Hurricane Helene, and have been without power for two days. Got power back, then internet, and then found I had completely forgotten to do the puzzle! I was travelling last Sunday and forgot to do it at the time, and never revisited it during the week. Oops!
All that is rectified now. Not too difficult on the Mephisto scale, though there is some crafty wordplay.
A reminder that in Mephisto puzzles, are confirmed by Chambers, so if you disagree with a definition, the Big Red Book probably disagrees with you.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Setter must finish off crossword to be accepted IMO (8, two words) |
| MEJUDICE – ME(setter), then JUICE(must – juice used in fermentation) containing the last letter in crossworD | |
| 7 | Led away from corrupt outfit (4) |
| GARB – remove LED from GARBLED(corrupt) | |
| 10 | Prone to wander around tip without a coat (8, two words) |
| EN CUERPO – anagram of PRONE surrounding CUE(tip) | |
| 12 | African ready, content in working weekends (5) |
| NGWEE – hidden inside workiNG WEEkends | |
| 13 | Our navy’s active beyond Cape Horn (5) |
| CORNU – an anagram of OUR,N(navy) after C(cape) | |
| 14 | Cherished goal once heading for Glastonbury early on? (6) |
| GRAYLE – first letter of Glastonbury, then an anagram of EARLY | |
| 15 | Raise revenue after settlement (6) |
| PARENT – RENT(revenue) after PA(Maori settlement) | |
| 16 | Before cutting examine cheese (6) |
| PANEER – AN(ante, before) inside PEER(examine) | |
| 18 | Most of newspapers perhaps given pictures name mystic healer (11, two words) |
| MEDICINE MAN – MEDIA(newspapers) missing the last letter, then CINEMA(pictures), N(name) | |
| 19 | Eyestalk on member of order of Homoptera (11) |
| OMMATOPHORE – O(on), M(member) then an anagram of HOMOPTERA | |
| 24 | Worn-out record I put in waste (6) |
| EPUISE – EP(record) then I inside USE(waste) | |
| 26 | Beetle’s wing more likely to lose power … (6) |
| ELATER – EL(wing) then APTER(more likely) minus P(power) | |
| 27 | … result putting cockchafer on back? (6) |
| DORSUM – SUM(result) with DOR(cockchafer) first | |
| 29 | Extend sides of rainbow about 67.5 degrees? (5) |
| RENEW – outer letters of RainboW surrounding ENE(67.5 degrees on a compass) | |
| 30 | About to remove label from hot sauce boat (5) |
| CASCO – C(about) then remove TAB(label) from TABASCO(hot sauce) | |
| 31 | Place in evil French suburb (8) |
| BANLIEUE – LIEU(place) inside BANE(evil) | |
| 32 | Remark about old Hebridean sheep (4) |
| SOAY – SAY(remark) surrounding O(old) | |
| 33 | Most brilliant good time hosting awards (8) |
| GEMMIEST – G(good) and T(time) containing EMMIES(awards) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | FBI agents holding back German couple in the past (4) |
| MENG – G-MEN(FBI agents) with G(German) moved to the bottom | |
| 2 | Not once backing school rule leaving permanent impression (8) |
| ENGRAMMA – NE(not, once) reversed, then GRAMMAR school minus R(rule) | |
| 3 | Lecture by an Indian police constable (5) |
| JAWAN – JAW(lecture) then AN | |
| 4 | Not seen a French governor in Algiers previously returning (6) |
| UNEYED – UNE(“a” in French) then DEY(Algerian governor) reversed | |
| 5 | Trade secret in our works (11) |
| INTERCOURSE – anagram of SECRET,IN,OUR. The Robert Teuton snigger moment. | |
| 6 | Starts to enjoy U2 historical tribute number? (6) |
| EUCAIN – first letters of Enjoy and U2, then CAIN(historical tribute) | |
| 7 | Gulp engaging electronic autopilot (6) |
| GEORGE – GORGE(gulp) containing E(electronic) | |
| 8 | Judgement of tribunal overturned in Mediterranean (5) |
| ARRET – hidden reversed in mediTERRAnean | |
| 9 | Reticent individual accepts a bit of nursing after fit (8) |
| BOUTONNE – ONE(individual) containing the first letter of Nursing after BOUT(fit) | |
| 11 | I priced up my exotic orchid (11) |
| CYPRIPEDIUM – anagram of I,PRICED,UP,MY | |
| 16 | Show R&B has dramatic compositions (8) |
| PROVERBS – PROVE(show), R, B, ‘S(has) | |
| 17 | Alas in Scotland, top of whisky cask’s perished with use (8) |
| WAESUCKS – first letter of Whisky, then an anagram of CASK and USE | |
| 20 | A Siemens set lacks luminance – absence of central cylinder? (6) |
| ASTELY – A, S(Siemens), TELLY(set) minus L(luminance) | |
| 21 | Headgear that is in fashion (6) |
| TIEWIG – IE(that is) inside TWIG(fashion) | |
| 22 | Plant most uncommon cutting in France, yes? (6) |
| OURARI – RARE(uncommon) minus the last letter inside OUI(“yes” in French) | |
| 23 | Delicious food? Routine some say (5) |
| MANNA – sounds like MANNER(routine) | |
| 25 | Japanese immigrant almost grasping university subject (5) |
| ISSUE – ISSEI(Japanese immigrant) minus the last letter containing U(University) | |
| 28 | A great many choices for tips in market (4) |
| MORT – the choices are M OR T | |
The only clue I didn’t manage to parse was 26a and I still don’t see where EL comes from. Could someone explain?
Definition 2 of EL in Chambers: A wing giving a building the shape of the letter L (US).
Of course, thank you.
Since I solved this on the correct day, I don’t remember much, but I see I was all-correct. I didn’t bother to research the wordplay if the answer was obvious, so I guess twig in some sense must mean fashion in some sense – such is Mephisto. I did make rapid progress at first, but there were a few tough ones like the orchid, where you have the letters but they don’t fit into one of the usual patterns. I was also very slow on the obvious proverbs, which should have been a write-in.
Sorry to hear about your difficulties, George. My brother in Sarasota has just reported a nothingburger, but Helene went by very quickly down there.
19a: I think OM is Order of Merit, members of which are entitled to put those letters after their names. A very ‘British’ thing.
Edit: on second thoughts, that doesn’t work.
M is actually ‘member of’, defined as such in Chambers.
I finished it, but was slowed down by the fact that the print version left out the ‘two words’ info on a couple of clues.
Tricky one, this. I’ve generally been finding Mephisto harder since the changes to the setter roster.
Sorry to hear about your storm troubles, George.