This week we have a rather easy Mephisto from Robert Teuton, which is not always the case with him. There is nothing wrong with varying the level of difficulty, or mixing easy clues with difficult ones in the same puzzle. I was able to solve most of this in one sitting, but then ended up completely stuck on two of the easiest clues. However, when I came back on Wednesday, the answers were almost immediately obvious – it’s the hidden alpino, and the very simple ample. Sometimes knowing too many obscure possibilities slows you down.
I hope everyone enjoyed this one, and maybe some new solvers will show up.
Across | |
1 | Maybe bitter about support having one form of vitamin deficiency (8) |
BERIBERI – BE(RIB)ER + I. | |
7 | Witch close to reaching broken ground in moss (4) |
HAGG – HAG + [reachin]G. | |
10 | Crack near flattened structure reduced radius of bone cavity (10) |
ACETABULAR – ACE + TABULA + R[adius]. | |
11 | Recycle boxes following raffle (6) |
REFUSE – RE(F)USE. | |
12 | Large lantern left to the end, it closes sale (5) |
AMPLE – AMPL + [sal]E, where the L of LAMP is moved to the end. | |
14 | Dye spread through fabric after mostly careful wearing (8) |
SAFRANIN – SAF[e] + RAN IN. | |
17 | York’s good-for-nothing old grammar protecting name (6) |
DONNAT – DON(N)AT. A Donat is a grammar book, named after Aelius Donatus. | |
18 | Earth filling hides loose bundles of things (6) |
SKEINS – SK(E)INS. | |
20 | US Defense Dept taking in electronic semiconductor (5) |
DIODE – D(I)OD + E. | |
21 | Religious festival dance by church (5) |
PASCH – PAS + CH. | |
23 | Sycophants longing to welcome business type (6) |
YESMEN – YE(SME)N, small and medium enterprise, of course – you could look it up. It beats the usual Yemen clue. | |
25 | Hotel took in native (6) |
INNATE – INN + ATE. | |
28 | Gathering round American very embarrassed with facial hair (8) |
BEAVERED – BE(A)VE + RED. | |
30 | Poet’s spiritual following leaving mystical land (5) |
AERIE – [f]AERIE, removing F for following. | |
31 | Chief witch putting tail of mouse on tom? (6) |
HECATE – HE-CAT + [mous]E. | |
32 | Fringes of occult in general to do with signs or symbols (10) |
NOTATIONAL – N(O[ccul]T)ATIONAL. | |
33 | Comb for sale — two pounds off (4) |
TOSE – TO SE[ll]. | |
34 | Current affairs show casts a glad eye on big city in review (8) |
NEWSREEL – LEERS + WEN backwards. |
Down | |
1 | Seed-cases almost split (4) |
BURS – BURS[t], a variant spelling. | |
2 | Look enviously as Yankees ace bats (10, two words) |
EYE ASKANCE -Anagram of YANKEES ACE. NHO, but this is Mephisto. | |
3 | Get remote back, mischievous child overturned jumble (6) |
RAFFLE – FAR backwards + ELF backwards. | |
4 | As before, did suit one in smartest clothing (5) |
BESAT – BES(A)T, as in your Sunday best. | |
5 | Giants of yore seen wandering round Troy (5) |
ETENS – Anagram of SEEN around T, for Troy weight. | |
6 | Naughty lady whipping out a pair in a flash (7) |
RAPIDLY – Anagram of LADY + P[a]IR. | |
7 | Pragmatist condemned US hitman (8) |
HUMANIST – Anagram of US HITMAN. | |
8 | Fighter at peak grabbed by scalp in offensive (6) |
ALPINO – Hidden in [sc]ALP IN O[ffensive]. | |
9 | Mushrooms, vegetables packing a bit of texture (8) |
GREATENS – GRE(A,T[exture])ENS. | |
13 | Newspaper article read out in short message (10) |
LEADERETTE – LE(anagram of READ)ETTE[r] – I think. If so, the clue is defective, we’re short one E. Ideas? I didn’t see the problem while solving. | |
15 | Sacked partisan candidate (8) |
ASPIRANT – Anagram of PARTISAN. | |
16 | Old birds fancy ripe acai (8) |
PICARIAE – Anagram of RIPE ACAI – woodpeckers. | |
19 | Love is number one commitment (7) |
SWEETIE – ’S WEE + TIE. | |
22 | Woman adopting new son takes Charlie (6) |
SNORTS – S(O)RT + S. Sort for woman? You can look it up. | |
24 | Second rattling sound could be spirit (6) |
MORALE – MO + RALE. | |
26 | Seabird rarely seen about low hill (5) |
CAHOW – CA + HOW. Once thought to be extinct….well, in Mephisto, nothing is extinct! | |
27 | Loose head in RU game quits (5) |
EVENS – [s]EVENS. | |
29 | Valley? He drew it with line (4) |
DELL – DEL + L. Del. is an abbreviation of delineavit, he drew it. |
I had this all worked, with only one question remaining: the full parsing of DELL. Decided it must not be the name of the British landscape painter. Finally figured at least this would give me something to comment on here. But I really should have looked up DEL.!
I can also report not having seen the problem with LEADERETTE.
Vinyl, you can fix that backward apostrophe on ’S by typing Option-shift ] (closed square bracket)… or its PC equivalent (guess that’s Alt, etc.).
Since I’m on Linux Mint 21.3, that doesn’t seem to work. However, cut and paste does!
I had queries against LEADERETTE and RAPIDLY.
For RAPIDLY I wondered whether the a anagrind (NAUGHTY) applies to both LADY and PAIR? I whipped out the A from LADY but I don’t think that makes any difference to the reading.
LEADERETTE couldn’t explain away the extra E either.
Indoors last Sunday, due to Storm Bert’s very heavy rain, so had a go at this. Did most of it on Sunday morning, but got stuck in the bottom half. DELL had to await inspiration on Monday morning.
I thought 6d was a wonderfully funny clue.
2D is an anagram of yankees ace
Yes, I saw that while solving, but evidently not while blogging. Now corrected.
Apologies for not spotting the LEADERETTE problem – possible lesson there about reactions to easy puzzles.
This week’s typo – MORALN. Which is baffling, since N is nowhere near E on my keyboard.