Greetings, barred-grid fans
I found this one tricky – usually I try to finish the Mephisto on Saturday night my time (it usually appears at 7pm in my time zone), but this one eluded my night brain and had to be finished over coffee the next morning. That perturbs me that coffee is better for solving than wine, but oh well.
There were plenty of morning smiles, and some words that triggered memories and reactions, which is always a bonus. Hopefully I can explain everything now, nearly a week later.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Endless intrigue about long returned old envoy (7) |
| PLENIPO – PLOT(intrigue) minus the last letter surrounging PINE(long) reversed | |
| 7 | Soldiers master American force (4) |
| GISM – GIS(soldiers), M(master) | |
| 11 | Civil authority demolished a right slum with care (10, two words) |
| SECULARARM – anagram of A,R(right),SLUM and CARE | |
| 12 | Stupid person thus interrupted by chairman (5) |
| SCHMO – SO(thus) containing CHM(chairman) | |
| 14 | Query uncertainty over hard religious law (4) |
| FIQH – Q(query) and IF(uncertainty) reversed, then H(hard) | |
| 15 | Make claim about lowest point in turning constellation (8) |
| ERIDANUS – SUE(make claim) surrounding NADIR(lowest point). The constellation itself is not a headword in Chambers, but it is referenced in the definition for ACHERNAR, a star in it | |
| 16 | One working at Christmas about home, put off when lacking time (8) |
| REINDEER – RE(about), IN(home), then DETER(put off) minus T(time) | |
| 19 | Lift aloft exotic soup in Outer Hebrides location (7) |
| UPHOIST – PHO(exotic soup) inside UIST(Outer Hebrides location). Pho is delicious. | |
| 21 | Empty hotel outside atomic base (5) |
| INANE – INN(hotel) surrounding A(atomic), then E(base) | |
| 22 | Some stars form this matter following a measure of light emission (5) |
| LUPUS – a constellation that is a headword in Chambers. PUS(matter) after LU(lumen, measure of light emission) | |
| 23 | Inlay artisan frequently good in a lot of traditional Sikh adornment (7) |
| KOFTGAR – OFT(frequently), G(good) iniside KARA(a Sikh bangle) minus the last letter | |
| 25 | Alga present, very active (8) |
| CONFERVA – CONFER(present, bestow), V(very), A(active) | |
| 27 | Has caught unknown bear with minute intestinal lump (8) |
| SCYBALUM – ‘S(has), C(caught), Y(unknown), BALU(Indian for bear) and M(minute) | |
| 30 | Minor actor versed in the furthest reaches of Shakespeare (4) |
| SUPE – UP(versed) inside the external letters of ShakespearE. Short for SUPERNUMERARY. Chambers gives the definition as an actor without speaking parts, leaving out that supes are commonly in opera. I am on a list to be a SUPE in an upcoming production of La Boheme | |
| 31 | Tendrils about grape vine taking only seconds (5) |
| CIRRI – CIR(circa, about) then the second letters of gRape vIne | |
| 32 | Examined inside of pipe after a lethal dosage of sugar (10) |
| ALDOHEXOSE -EX(examined) inside HOSE(pipe) after A, LD(lethal dose), O(of) | |
| 33 | What was rarely spoken in history outside of Latin (4) |
| SELD – SED(old term for spoken) outside of L(Latin) | |
| 34 | Indian author not American one penning article (7) |
| NARAYAN – NARY(not in USA), and AN(one) containing A(article). Author of The English Teacher | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Quiet plane like Concorde? Listen (4) |
| PSST – P(piano, quiet), then SST(supersonic transport, plane like Concorde) | |
| 2 | Augment Shakespearean speeches to some extent (4) |
| ECHE – hidden inside speECHEs | |
| 3 | Greek character, king of Crete accepting universal deity (8) |
| NUMINOUS – NU(Greek character), then MINOS(king of Crete) containing U(universal) | |
| 4 | Innkeeper expelling increasingly drunken father (5) |
| PADRE – PADRONE(innkeeper) minus ON(increasingly drunken) | |
| 5 | Wine on the other hand I got during prohibition (7) |
| ORVIETO – OR(on the other hand) then I inside VETO(prohibition) | |
| 6 | Flaking skin condition’s fine following doctor’s letters? (8) |
| DANDRIFF – IF(condition), F(fine) after D AND R(doctor’s letters) | |
| 8 | Reactive substance, one ministry embargoed at first (5) |
| IMINE – I(one), MIN(ministry), then the first letter of Embargoed | |
| 9 | What inhibits philosopher raising end with man in Rome (10) |
| SAQUINAVIR – the priest and philosopher Thomas AQUINAS with the S moved to the front, then VIR(man or hero in Latin) | |
| 10 | Fish, coarse, brought up — about two pounds (7) |
| MAHSEER – HAM(clumsy, coarse) reversed, then SEER(a weight of about two pounds) | |
| 13 | Gloom affected pure old school in outskirts of Crewe (10) |
| CREPUSCULE – anagram of PURE and SCUL(old word for school) inside the external letters of CrewE | |
| 17 | One special cheddar initially used in fine vintage melt (8) |
| DISCANDY – I(one), S(special) and the first letter of Cheddar inside DANDY(fine) | |
| 18 | Decorations on roof base, set in square column (8) |
| ANTEFIXA – E(base) and FIX(set) inside ANTA(square column) | |
| 19 | Novel tax once raised after a month losing capital (7) |
| ULYSSES – SESS(former tax) reversed after JULY(month) minus the first letter | |
| 20 | Toast current with acceptable number of drinking guests? (7) |
| SKOLION – SKOL(a drinking toast), I(current) and ON(acceptable) | |
| 24 | Characteristic fold that is turned over (5) |
| TYPAL – LAP(fold), YT(that is) all reversed | |
| 26 | Ineffectual person about to reject EU. Some neck. (5) |
| NUCHA – EUNUCH(ineffectual person), and A(about) minus EU | |
| 28 | Attempt to introduce old system of weights (4) |
| TROY – TRY(attempt) containing O(old) | |
| 29 | Old descendant, one having departed Tuscan city (4) |
| SIEN – remove A(one) from SIENA(Tuscan city) | |
One could say that we were treated to a constellation of things not in Chambers. When John Grimshaw’s the setter I gird my loins for a tough ride and this was no exception. After a couple of hours and very little progress, thoughts of defeat loomed large. With a good night’s sleep things changed miraculously. I finished on Monday morning, correctly as it turns out but not without questions regarding 31a, 34a and 6d, which glh has explained fully above. As always thanks for the blog. By the way I’ve been thinking of making pho, I’m encouraged by your comments.
Is CIR a common abbreviation of circa? It’s not given in my Chambers (admittedly an old one); C and CA are certainly better known. I didn’t help myself by writing in AMINE instead of IMINE; I got there eventually, but struggled with a few in the NE quadrant. I thought “philosopher” was a very unhelpful clue for Aquinas, especially when the answer was such an obscure word and the key crossing letter, the Q of FIQH, was also in an obscure word (neither is in my Chambers). Talking of FIQH, is “over” acceptable in this sense in an across clue?
I have an electronic copy of the 2014 Chambers and a physical copy of the 2016. CIR and CIRC are both in there as abbreviations for circa, circiter and circum, so get ready for all sorts of C-things coming to a Mephisto near you. Q for Query is in there.
Over can mean from one side to another, so it is fair game in Mephisto. It might not fly with the daily Times editor.
And 9d and 14a are in my print version of Chambers.
Thanks glh. I’m slowly getting into Mephistos having started the cryptic journey fairly late. Your blog is very helpful and will hopefully, eventually get me somewhere on the wavelength of the setters. I still can’t understand GISM as an American force though.
GISM is in Chambers 14th edition. 1st entry is: energy, force (informal, chiefly US). The headline entry gives JISM and JISSOM as alternative spellings.
I’ve retained my older edition of Chambers as occasionally you’ll see something that’s been dropped from the current edition or the description has changed such that rptge clue doesn’t quite work. We had FANY a year ago, which is in the 20 Century Dictionary and last week I think it was we had a reference to a square column, which was only described as such in the 20th C ed. The word was ANTA but I can’t find the puzzle where this occurred.
Thanks Richard. I’m going to have to come better armoured.
In the 1988 edition of Chambers, which I’ll always keep as it has one of the bookplates from my only Listener win, “anta” is “a square pilaster”. I think someone at Chambers in the last 30+ years must have noticed that “pilaster” is defined as “a square column”, so “pilaster” was enough in the anta def.
Collins ED still has FANY, and also has many of the place names that are permitted in Mephisto.
Managed to get through but struggled with 9 down.
Got going in the wrong direction thinking a man in Rome was one of the hills quirinal and thus a part anagram not solvable for the full clue. Could not find the philosopher and didn’t understand the raising end bit. All clear now thanks to glh.
I guess I am making slow progress with Mephisto but some way to go yet.
Thanks, George. I find John’s Mephisto’s the most challenging. This one took me an age but I got there in the end using plenty of electronic help. I actually knew MAHSEER was a fish but the wordplay had me baffled. So thanks for that and for YT for “that”.