Greetings all
Tricky puzzle from Tim Moorey this time, but a good one for fans of wordplay, there were a lot of clues where I pieced together the wordplay and then checked in on the definition before entering it into the grid. I find I can usually trust my instincts with Tim Moorey’s wordplay.
Since definitions (the first of which is underlined) can be confirmed in Chambers I’m going to focus in on wordplay execpt for non-Chambers entries. I hope everyone is keeping their sanity in these weird times.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Scottish mixed grain, potatoes and chopped meat (7) |
| MASHLAM – MASH(potatoes) and LAMB(meat) missing the last letter | |
| 7 | Cut climbing plant, not very short (4) |
| ETCH – the climbing plant is VETCH, remove the V(very) | |
| 10 | American edentates cross ground near hart (9) |
| XENARTHRA – X(cross), then an anagram of NEAR,HART | |
| 11 | That’s number recalled first from Louis Armstrong? (4) |
| NEIL – IE(that’s), and N(number) all reversed, with the first letter of Louis for the astronaut NEIL Armstrong | |
| 13 | Couple regretted leaving university in rows (6) |
| TIERED – TIE(couple), then RUED(regretted) missing U(university) | |
| 14 | Old sculpture to flog in America after centre’s moved to the front (6) |
| STATUA – TAT(tap, flog) inside USA(America) with the S at the beginning | |
| 16 | Lively tune followed by tenor (4) |
| RANT – RAN(followed a course) then T(tenor) | |
| 18 | Unfinished brass work in lounge (6) |
| LOLLOP – LOLLY(money, brass) missing the last letter, then OP(work) | |
| 19 | Clobber I’d cast? Yes (9) |
| ECDYSIAST – anagram of I’D,CAST,YES – an all-in-one clue | |
| 21 | Aware agreement includes half of Bath? (9) |
| CONSCIENT – CONSENT(agreement) containing half of the CITY of Bath | |
| 24 | Sweeper and boiler needing repair (6) |
| LIBERO – anagram of BOILER | |
| 25 | Relative about to get into Britain (4) |
| BRER – RE(about) inside BR(Britain) | |
| 27 | One leaving country before tackling fighter (6) |
| EMIGRE – ERE(before) containing MIG(fighter plane) | |
| 29 | Plan leaving German out of the corporation (6) |
| ALVINE – anagram of LEAVING missing G(german) – corporation meaning stomach here | |
| 30 | Conference stamp on source of taxes (4) |
| DIET – DIE(stamp) and the first letter of Taxes | |
| 31 | Turncoats see danger all over the place (9) |
| RENEGADES – anagram of SEE,DANGER | |
| 32 | Writer Pound fooled about (4) |
| DAHL – L(pound), HAD(fooled) all reversed for the author Roald | |
| 33 | Rubber packing-ring wrapped round clear watchglass (7) |
| LUNETTE – LUTE(rubber packing ring for a jar) surrounding NET(clear) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Guys with spades are on the loose with intent to commit crime (7, two words) |
| MENS REA – MEN(guys), S(spades) and an anagram of ARE | |
| 2 | Make good guess after one (4) |
| ABET – BET(guess) after A(one) – for those of you newer to Mephisto, A=1 is OK here, while it is not in the daily | |
| 3 | Soldier runs into husband flourishing Irish dagger (9) |
| SGIAN-DUBH – GI(soldier) inside an anagram of HUSBAND – one of the many spellings of SKEAN-DHU – note that in Mephisto hyphenated words are not indicated | |
| 4 | Nothing excluded from restructured US model plants (6) |
| LEDUMS – remove O(nohing) from US,MODEL and anagram | |
| 5 | Woven fabrics fit young women (10) |
| MATELASSES – MATE(to fit), LASSES(young women) | |
| 6 | Sound stance finishes off Cambridge exams (6) |
| TRIPOS – TRIG(Scots for SOUND) and POSE(stance) with the last letters removed | |
| 7 | Old huge type, not entirely pretentious (4) |
| ETEN – hidden inside prETENtious | |
| 8 | One wanted charge by weight for French fabric (8) |
| CRETONNE – remove A(one) from CARE(charge), then TONNE(weight) | |
| 9 | Right away, poor called to account (5, two words) |
| HAD UP – remove R(right) from HARD UP(poor) – not explicitly in Chambers, but HAVE UP is | |
| 12 | Adult and youngster in ruffled lace — that’s the Spanish way (10, two words) |
| CAMINO REAL – A(adult) and MINOR(youngster) in an anagram of LAVE | |
| 15 | One remedying great ills? (9) |
| ALLERGIST – anagram of GREAT,ILLS and another all-in-one | |
| 17 | Yarrow, for example may be seen in a cold river (8) |
| ACHILLEA – A, CHILL(cold), EA(river) | |
| 20 | Short passage put across time and time again in fast codas (7) |
| STRETTE – STREET(passage) shortened, surrounding two T’s (time) | |
| 22 | House fruit (6) |
| ORANGE – double definition | |
| 23 | PC up on haunt of vice in part of London (6) |
| CAMDEN – MAC(personal computer) reversed on DEN(haunt of vice) | |
| 24 | Grey storyteller beginning to drag (5) |
| LIARD – LIAR(storyteller) then the first letter of Drag | |
| 26 | Eddy’s refrain heard (4) |
| WIEL – sounds like WHEEL(refrain) | |
| 28 | Robbed once by force in return (4) |
| REFT – F(force) inside RET(return) | |
Interesting mix of easy and difficult clues .. overall I think it a little easier than the Club Monthly, because of all the crossers
Otherwise, all correct.