Mephisto 3361 – Robert Teuton

Posted on Categories Mephisto

Greetings, barred-grid fans.

I thought this was a notch easier than the last few Mephistos and I finished it in a single sitting. Fewer unusual terms, though as I come to write this up I am still scratching my head over a few of the parsings, hopefully they will come up soon.

I enjoy the surfaces a lot in Robert Teuton puzzles, and there are some really fun ones here.

Away we go…

Across
1 Dropping lead to investigate sea doing … possibly this? (7)
SONDAGE – anagram of SEA,DOING minus the first letter of Investigate
6 1000 pounds a year cover for head (5)
KIPPA – KIP(a weight of 1000 points), PA(a year)
10 Revised grade (not D) got in a competitive exam (10)
AGREGATION – anagram of GRADE,GOT,IN,A minus D
11 Dachshund, bloodhound and kelpie ignoring confusion (6)
TECKEL – TEC(investigator, bloodhound), and KELPIE minus PIE(confusion)
12 Block isolating Yankee prisoner? (6)
STALAG – STAY(block) minus Y(Yankee) then LAG(prisoner) with the whole being the definition
14 Stream ritual showing baptismal ceremony (5)
AMRIT – hidden inside steAM RITual
15 I start to get about part of Sussex waterway (7)
IGARAPE – I, the first letter of Get, A(about) and RAPE(a division of Sussex)
19 Preposterous Beeb broadcast with nil value (12)
UNBELIEVABLE – anagram of BEEB, NIL, VALUE
20 Be hit with Noel’s cost around beginning of January — giving this? (12, two words)
OBJECT LESSON – anagram of BE, NOEL’S COST surrounding the first letter of January
25 Day sharing cool spring sojourn (7)
INDWELL – D(day) in between IN(cool) and WELL(spring)
26 European slalomer maybe avoiding top of icy ridge (5)
ESKER – E, SKIER(slalomer, maybe) minus the first letter in Icy
28 Dished out grass for feed (6)
EDDISH – anagram of DISHED
29 Batman delivering one-two, ie in action, POW!? (6)
INMATE – anagram of BATMAN minus the first two letters and IE
30 Time off to catch fish? Start off with one fish (10, two words)
NEON TETRAS – remove T(time) from NET(catch fish), then an anafram of START and ONE
31 Edge back from disco dance … (5)
TANGO – TANG(edge) and the last letter in discO
32 again choose dance therapy of a sort (7)
REELECT – REEL(dance) and ECT(electroconvulsive therapy)
Down
1 Moustache’s trimmed, not so much hairy bristle? (4)
SETA – anagram of MOUSTACHES minus SO MUCH
2 Madonna regularly snubbed? That’s bad for such a versatile entertainer (10, two words)
ONE-MAN BAND – anagram of MADONNA and alternating letters in sNuBbEd
3 Shellfish lands almost on bottom of ocean (5)
NACRE – ACRES(lands) minus the last letter after the last letter in oceaN
4 Rocky edge eroded round banks of Rhône (5)
ARETE – ATE(eroded) surrounding the external letters in RhonE
5 Cavorting idly I get cold (8)
GELIDITY – anagram of IDLY,I,GET
6 Exercise sequences were in session hinging on spirit (5)
KATAS – SAT(were in session) reversed after KA(spirit)
7 Russian channel is carrying bitter articles (8)
ITAR-TASS – IS containing TART(bitter) and AS(articles)
8 A sauce going round with rice dish (5)
PILAW – A, LIP(sauce) all reversed, then W(with)
9 Guardian’s joke rebuffed LA citizen (8)
ANGELENO – ANGEL(guardian) then ONE(joke) reversed
13 Academy’s imaginative accepting insensitive person’s “sorry” (10)
APOLOGETIC – A(academy), POETIC(imaginative) containing LOG(insensitive person)
16 Question variable ten to one ratio (8)
QUOTIENT – QU(question) then an anagram of TEN,TO,I(one)
17 Film covering port gathering to turn round ship (8)
BEESWING – BEE(gathering) then SWING(turn around a ship)
18 Bottled lime drunk with a spot of effervescent mineral (8)
MELILITE – anagram of LIME, LIT(drunk) and the first letter of Effervescent
21 Bill fellow extra charge (5)
ADD-ON – AD(bill), DON(fellow)
22 Sad Elon Musk oddly rocks around Tesla (5)
MESTO – anagram of alternating letters in ElOn MuSk surrounding T(Tesla)
23 Kind hereditary factor embodying mother’s or father’s side? (5)
GENRE – GENE(hereditary factor) surrounding the last letter of motheR or fatheR
24 When entering nobleman denied opening decree (5)
UKASE – AS(when) inside DUKE(nobleman) minus the first letter
27 Robbed once match official’s heading for tunnel (4)
REFT –  REF(match official) and the first letter in Tunnel

5 comments on “Mephisto 3361 – Robert Teuton”

  1. First one I’ve (started and) finished on the Sunday it came out!
    I was first acquainted with SONDAGE thru the French usage for a public opinion poll.
    When I was growing up, my brother had NEON TETRAS in the aquarium in his room—where he also had a pool table… and one day, the inevitable occurred…

  2. Not so lucky this time. I biffed 8dn as PILAU without giving it another thought. Therein lay my downfall. Another object lesson I would say.

    1. I think this was a nicely-set bear trap. PILAU and PILAF are much more usual. My adage: if you can’t parse it, it ain’t right. (Though I do make the occasional exception when the answer is bleedin’ obvious, but I can’t quite see it.)

      Pretty straightforward puzzle, but with some really nice surfaces, which is something I appreciate. Too much meaningless algebra these days.

      1. You’re right on both counts – a bear trap and on the whole straightforward.
        I’m going to have to up my game for 2025.

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