Greetings barred-grid fans
I couldn’t get this done in one session, so I think it is in the more difficult range of Mephistos. I didn’t get much at the top, so the pun, which is particularly good this week, did not offer any help.
How did you get along?
| Across | |
| 1 | Port harbours a schooner for example (7) |
| PATTERN – PT (port) containing A, then TERN (a three-mast schooner) | |
| 6 | Perennial victim no longer accepted (5) |
| HOSTA – HOST (obsolete term for a sacrificial victim), then A (accepted) | |
| 10 | Is one harlot blooming wasted resource? (11, three words) |
| NORTH SEA OIL – anagram of IS, ONE, HARLOT | |
| 12 | Equivalent grade government hostel with a whiff of sulphur? (4) |
| EGGY – EG (equivalent grade), G (government), Y (youth hostel) | |
| 13 | Floating bark flipped insect (6) |
| NATANT – TAN (oak bark) reversed, then ANT (insect) | |
| 14 | In the manner of innocent ignoring hard sectarian (7) |
| ALAWITE – A LA (in the manner of), then WHITE (innocent) minus H (hard) | |
| 15 | Making comment on the status of idle hitman? (8) |
| NOTICING – an idle hitman may be NOT ICING | |
| 17 | A bishop’s style initially in Kent area backing sins? (4) |
| ERRS – RR (Right Reverent, a bishop’s name or style) reversed inside SE (Kent area) | |
| 20 | An idea’s upset spring spirits, say (7) |
| NAIADES – anagram of AN, IDEA’S | |
| 22 | Irresponsible sort finished getting into muscle (7, two words) |
| LOVE RAT – OVER (finished) inside LAT (muscle) | |
| 24 | Drain power (4) |
| GRIP – double definition, I’m more familiar with the second one | |
| 25 | Typical of Jonathan, apparently, to fib about record (8) |
| APPLE PIE – APP (apparently), then LIE (fib) surrounding EP (record). I’ve lived in the USA for 27 years now, and never heard of anyone from here being called Jonathans | |
| 28 | Require little relative to return — one who makes sharp points (7) |
| NEEDLER – NEED (require) then REL (relative) reversed | |
| 30 | Sadly Laos so far produces local beasts (6) |
| SAOLAS – anagram of LAOS, then AS (so far) | |
| 31 | Oriental warehouse’s grand term of affection to the fore (4) |
| HONG – G (grand) with HON (term of affection) in front | |
| 32 | Rampant confusion right for Rumpole’s societies (11, three words) |
| INNS OF COURT – anagram of CONFUSION then RT (right). Rumple of the Bailey was a British TV show that ended 35 years ago, but I don’t need to tell that to the Mephisto faithful. | |
| 33 | Nancy’s steady darts missing first couple of trebles — this burns for Scots (5) |
| SIKES – There’s two definitions here – the boyfriend of Nancy in Oliver Twist, and a Scots term for a rill. The wordplay is STRIKES (darts) minus the first two letters of TRebles | |
| 34 | Most nervous being in trial (7) |
| TENSEST – ENS (being) inside TEST (trial) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Exultation from each in circle (5) |
| PAEAN – EA (each) inside PAN (circle with a movie camera) | |
| 2 | Decrepit long manor — one belonging to the conquerors? (11) |
| ANGLO-NORMAN – anagram of LONG, MANOR then AN (one) | |
| 3 | Carry round grand academician dressed as Cicero? (6) |
| TOGATE – TOTE (carry) surrounding G (grand) then A (academician) | |
| 4 | A case of pins and needles in perpetuity (4) |
| ETUI – hidden inside perpETUIty. As the founder of this site once said, the case that is not an INRO | |
| 5 | Lost beast that’s strangely tiny in Royal Horse Artillery (7) |
| RHYTINA – anagram of TINY inside RHA (Royal Horse Artillery) | |
| 6 | Naughtily hid large senior at St Trinian’s? (8, two words) |
| HEAD GIRL – anagram of HID, LARGE | |
| 7 | Colour of money in America — bluey-green? (7) |
| OATMEAL – O (of), then M (money) inside A (America), TEAL (bluey-green) | |
| 8 | Succeeded with tree becoming lush (4) |
| SOAK – S (succeeded) and OAK (tree) | |
| 9 | Title of la reine, novel’s heroine seen in old festival (7) |
| ALTESSE – TESS (novel’s heroine) inside ALE (old festival) | |
| 11 | ____ need stirring vigorously with only one recipe (11) |
| INGREDIENTS – anagram of NEED, STIRRING minus one R (recipe) | |
| 16 | Buffaloes in havoc as husband goes for horse (8) |
| CARABAOS – CHAOS (havoc) with H (husband) replaced by ARAB (horse) | |
| 18 | A large MI6’s sense of suffering (7) |
| ALGESIS – A, LGE (large), SIS (Secret Intelligence Service, MI6) | |
| 19 | Check on throbbing (7) |
| REPULSE – RE (on), PULSE (throbbing) | |
| 21 | A hint? Replacing run with sports lesson finds you dead, say (7, two words) |
| AT PEACE – A TRACE (hint) with R (run) replaced with PE (Physical Education, sports lesson) | |
| 23 | Odd elements in supply tangle causing row for Scots (6) |
| SPLORE – alternating letters in SuPpLy, then ORE (tangle) | |
| 26 | So, beginning to talk is an issue for grasses? (5) |
| ERGOT – ERGO (so) and the first letter of Talk | |
| 27 | Hit hard as difficulty rises (4) |
| TONK – KNOT (difficulty) reversed | |
| 29 | Poet’s black book supporting English that’s acceptable! (4) |
| EBON – B (book) under E (English), then ON (acceptable) | |
Wow, George! You made my day. I found this the easiest Mephisto I’d yet worked. Basically all in one season, last Sunday. Guess I found the wavelength. The pun helped me with the top too.
*session
Ha!
Can someone help please
Not getting the pun or understanding 25 across
The pun is pater nosta ( the Lord’s prayer)
25. Jonathan in Chambers is listed as indicating a typical American or typically American values, so is synonymous with Apple Pie. The wordplay is:
APP= apparently
LIE = fib
Put that about record = EP
HTH
The pun is Paternoster (Latin for Our Father, in reference to the Lord’s prayer, but the word has developed other meanings). Re 25ac, I’d thought it referred to Jonathan as an American variety of apple, but, according to Chambers, “Jonathan” can also mean people of the US collectively or a typical specimen. Apple-pie is an expression referring to traditional American values.
I’d met Brother Jonathan before.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Jonathan
The equivalent of the British John Bull perhaps? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bull
I didn’t suss the wordplay for 12a and paid for it by entering EGGS. It now seems obvious thanks George. I promise not to forget the association of hostel with Y.
Sorry, Richard – we must have been typing almost simultaneously!
Funny how often that happens. But it’s a good sign that we’re all willing to help out.
Thank you for the help
I didn’t find this one too bad – done in just over half an hour.
Funny that TONK came up again on Friday with a similar clue.
Like Sandy, I was on the wavelength, and finished fairly quickly. Answers like ergot, etui, Inns of Court, North Sea oil and Anglo-Norman were immediately obvious, and I got a lot of checkers quickly. I couldn’t parse pattern, but knew it must be right because of the pun.