Mephisto 3350 – Small Latin, but a heck of a lot of Greek!

Author   vinyl1Posted on Categories Mephisto

Well, John Grimshaw is back, but in a tamed version.   I was able to solve this puzzle, and parse every answer, but it was not exactly a pushover.   I would say this is exactly the right level  of difficulty that most Mephisto solvers would find enjoyable.

I was fortunate to be able to get three out of the four long ones relatively early on.  A random guess that 1 across might start with xi- led to  an examination of the anagram letters for 1 down, where xylo- was a very likely  possibility.    A quick check in Chambers showed I was right, and I was off to the races.

It was actually the crossing of Niflheim and sallal that held me up, since I didn’t realize that ‘in’ was part of the anagram fodder for the misty place.    I liked sallal, but it doesn’t say it’s related to heather  in Chambers, so I had to look up lallan to confirm it – that’s lowland for you non-Scots speakers.

Across
1 Greek characters back another one over process (12)
XIPHISTERNUM – XI + PHI + STERN  + MU backwards.   Yes, it’s a process, but the  literal is not very helpful.
10 Ground liver? Lots sent back unfinished remnant (6)
YNAMBU – MANY backwards + BU[tt], probably.  A ground liver in the sense of a bird that lives on the ground.
12 Gods with collection of gossip on goddess (5)
DIANA – DI + ANA, a starter clue.
13 Weapon — mother needs this on as domestic killer? (5)
LATHI – [ma]LATHI[on], which most solvers will just biff.
14 Germany had this historian overturn check about where former Axis ended (7)
NIEBUHR – R(HUB)EIN, all backwards.  Not Reinhold Niebuhr, but another guy I never heard of.
15 Work turning brass of coal-hole lids (8)
OPERCULA – OP + LUCRE backwards + ‘A.
17 King had left before assembly of elders (6)
KGOTLA – K + GOT + L + ‘A.    A biff for experienced Mephisto fans.
18 Fruits I stored in a box mostly (5)
ACAIS -A CA(I)S[e].
19 Make clear English wine is used by church (6)
EVINCE – E + VIN + C.E., another starter clue.
22 Excellent concept, not one in which belief is obligatory (6, two words)
DE FIDE – DEF + IDE[a].
23 Amusing part introduced by director (5)
DROLE – D + ROLE, where the answer uses an alternate spelling.
24 Scots lacking name reflecting plant related to heather (6)
SALLAL – LALLA[n]S backwards.
28 What could be styling product hotel branch returned (8)
HYDROGEL – HYDRO + LEG backwards.
29 Gore coloured cloak worn by goddess (7)
MAGENTA – MA(GE)NTA.   Ge has also been seen as Gaia lately.
30 Rapidly rotating body shortened backbone (5)
SPINA – SPINA[r].   More alternate spelling.
31 Former operation in charge of human waste (5)
UREIC – URE + I.C.       Ure is obscure, but it’s there.
32 Flipping obscure new enzyme (6)
RENNIN – INNER backwards + N.
33 Studying ants I see on my jolly green tree trunk (12)
MYRMECOLOGIC – MY + R.M. + ECO + LOG + I.C.    Simple, right!   I was helped by remembering a certain Quickie commenter’s email address.
Down
1 Not a word after all say box is treated wood that’s dried (12)
XYLOBALSAMUM – Anagram of ALL SAY BOX + MUM.   If you know Greek, you will realize this is likely to start with either XERO- or XYLO-, but the anagram letters leave XYLO- as the only possible choice.
2 Unfit girl getting personal trainer (5)
INAPT – INA + P.T., another starter clue.
3 Find out missing heroin turned up under old pie dishes (7)
PATERAE – PATE + [h]EAR upside-down.   A patera is an old Roman dish.
4 More than one climber in the same place freezes (6)
IBICES – IB. + ICES.   Ib. is an abbreviation of ibidem, and ibices is the third-declension plural of ibex.
5 Locally the same type is after half of this (5)
THILK – TH[is] + ILK.   Not a great clue, because  the answer is literally th’ ilk.
6 Possibly trim wife has good lines (8)
RIBBONRY – RIB + BON + RY, stock cryptic elemetns.
7 Old relative — ninety, thin, not good (5)
NAUNT – N + [g]AUNT, where N is a medieval Roman numeral, what else?   I think we just had this clue.
8 Formerly uncover one local goddess of old earth (6)
UNHELE – UN + HEL + E, a bit of Spenser for you.
9 Girl with German actor going topless. Grounds for divorce? (12, two words)
MARIAGE BLANC – MARIA + G + [l]EBLANC.
11 Remaining homeless after house is lost (6)
UNUSED – UN[ho]USED.
16 With male concealed, shot film in misty location (8)
NIFLHEIM – Anagram of FILM IN around HE.   Interestingly, ruled over by Hel from 8 down!
20 I’ve a darkening, showing result of embolism (6)
VEADAR – Hidden in [i]’VE A DAR[kening].
21 Joint company once led by cheat (7)
COGGING – COG + GING, an obsolete for of gang.   Yes, a cogging is a type of joint.
22 Your little lad is raised around adult bull handler (6)
DATARY – YR (A) TAD.   The chap who handles papal bulls, not a toreador.
23 Back of document left hanging (6)
DORSEL – DORSE + L.   A hanging in the back of an altar.
25 Cross old resident emitting eccentricity (5)
LIGER – LI[e]GER.
26 Capital perhaps raised in support of pound breaking down (5)
LYTIC – CITY + L upside down.
27 Low-down on two potentially evil spirits (5)
GENII – GEN + II, another easy one.

5 comments on “Mephisto 3350 – Small Latin, but a heck of a lot of Greek!”

  1. Indeed this was enjoyable with every clue understood. The only annoyance – my fault entirely – was a transcription error from paper to the online submission, yet again!

  3. DNF

    Dipped my toe into these waters again after a long absence. Jeepers! First thing to learn is that “a” seems to be an abbreviation for quite of stuff you don’t find in the dailies.

    About 3/5 done with aids.

    Thanks Vinyl – impressive blog

  4. I found this hard going, and needed a lot of help. I think I was put off by the vagueness of “Greek letters” (which ones?!) in 1a, and the girl and actor in 9d which gave an excess of choices for a phrase I didn’t know and an unfamiliar spelling of of MARIAGE. Just over the hour.

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