Mephisto 3114 - At the Gentleman's Club
I found most of this puzzle approachable, but, as usual, ended up with a couple of things I didn't know. My wild guesses were surprisingly successful, but I still ended up with two wrong. There is nothing too esoteric here, except for the Australian tree that tripped me up - it's not often you will see three vowels in a row like that. On the other hand, my reading of Spenser as a graduate student and my fondness for astronomy as a boy proved most helpful.
Across | |
1 | United correctly directed to hang on to apprentice (6) |
LAPPED - L(APP)ED, an easy starter clue. | |
6 | A swathe of academicians we regularly meet (6) |
ANSWER - hidden in [academici]ANS WE R[egularly], with a reverse-cryptic literal. | |
10 | Academician and a college in step for investigation (10, two words) |
PAPER CHASE - |
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11 | Sweet alcohol mixed in malt, no? (8) |
MANNITOL - anagram of IN MALT, NO. | |
13 | English chap’s gentle oath, one that's dated (4) |
ECOD - E + COD, where 'cod' is a 17-18th century term for 'chap' or 'fellow'. | |
14 | Great potentate accepting a fawn, silky garment (5) |
TASAR - T(A)SAR. More often spelt 'tussar' or 'tushar', a silk used to make saris, or the garments themselves. | |
16 | Curtailed tour with a rip-off rocket (8) |
ROASTING - ROA[d] + STING, or maybe RO[ad] + A STING. | |
18 | Watch performer cutting remark when Queen’s absent (6) |
TURNIP - TURN + [r]IP. It is very helpful if you remember what the oversized pocket watch was called. | |
19 | Extraordinary deeds surrounding tense case in the old days (6) |
STEDDE - Anagram of DEEDS around T, an obsolete spelling of stead. | |
20 | In Hamlet, maintains squires wanting resistance (6) |
ESCOTS - ESCO[r]T. Maintains in the sense of support or pay for. | |
22 | First flivver off assembly line in Delaware in shed there (6, two words) |
MODEL T - MO(DE)LT, using MOLT as opposed to the UK spelling MOULT. Previous Ford cars had been hand-built by groups of workers. | |
24 | Where to get them in in practice? (8, three words) |
AT THE BAR - Double definition, referring to both drinking and legal practice. | |
26 | One in wind to tilt, per Spenser (5) |
GIUST - G(I)UST, which in more modern spelling is joust. | |
28 | Clownish sort of dingbat (4) |
HOBO - Double definition, where a dingbat is "an old hobo who mooches off of other hoboes". | |
29 | Repeatedly return from work at morning place of seclusion? (8, three words) |
DO A MELBA - DO + AM + ELBA, where Napoleon was unsuccessfully secluded. An allusion to Nellie Melba's numerous 'final' concerts. | |
30 | Clear of particles? Cleared out parts (10) |
EDULCORATE - Anagram of CLEARED OUT. | |
31 | Harrowed Hell being close to parasite? (6) |
DISKED - DIS + KED, two cryptic mainstays. | |
32 | Supplement, say, still stocking section (6) |
INSERT - IN(S)ERT. |
Down | |
1 | To Shakespeare’s readers mean imperfect collection of texts (6) |
LAMENT - LAME + NT. A very obscure usage that seems to occur only once in Shakespeare. | |
2 | Reminiscence caught by clown to do with early notes? (10) |
ANACRUSTIC - ANA + C + RUSTIC, the upbeat of a song. | |
3 | Traditionally Chinese resident, although in past (5) |
PANDA - P(AND)A. | |
4 | En passant, I must cover worn-out foot (8) |
EPITRITE - E.P. + I + TRITE. | |
5 | Rising Left on education in Sorbonne — not wanted (6, two words) |
DE TROP - PORT + ED, upside down. | |
6 | Whiffs when circling Urbs Aeterna, as they call it (6) |
AROMAS - A(ROMA)S, another starter clue. | |
7 | Quiet cut means an indistinct sound (4) |
SHWA - SH + WA[y], more often spelt SCHWA, the phonetician's vague vowel sound. | |
8 | Very special fish in outer limits? (8) |
WAYSIDES - WAY S IDES. The plural of IDE is seldom seen in crosswords, but it is needed here. | |
9 | Roller in which army corps must replace head to drive again (6) |
REURGE - (-s, +RE)URGE. | |
12 | Gentle weeping two bishops expressed for one quite unlike Jack (10) |
LANDLUBBER - |
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15 | Take in routine beast, one shining brightly (8) |
ARCTURUS - |
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17 | One who supplies articles could be smart one (8) |
STOREMAN - anagram of SMART ONE. | |
20 | Having scored better than most ditch Scottish kite (6) |
EAGLED - EA + GLED. 'Ea' is an archaic word from the Fen country. | |
21 | Finding nothing in ground round British Library swear (6) |
SBLOOD - S(BL, O)OD. | |
22 | Spoil mostly meagre Maori seafood (6) |
MARARI - MAR + ARI[d]. | |
23 | Extremely artificial tree (6) |
TOOART - TOO + ART, an Australian tree more often spelt Tuart. | |
25 | Wife warmed up small appetisers (5) |
WHETS - W + HET + S. | |
27 | Pet to lurk wanting what comes second (4) |
SULK - S[k]ULK. |