mephisto 2377

[elderly]

Stuck again this week, help please with
4D. Frank medic, one interrupting fault-finder, a creepy individual. ?C????EN?RI?
and 2A. look after one side of the table, darling (7) ??????? sorry have no letters yet to help with this one.

[Quizmonkey]

Scolopendrid (OPEN DR I in SCOLD) !

[johnalex]

4d SCOLOPENDRID (scold,open,dr,1) = centipede

[elderly]

Thanks very much both of you for 4D. I'm still pressing on with 2A and a few others.

[Quizmonster]

Is there any chance that 2A could be 'babysit'? That certainly means 'look after' and 'baby' is an alternative for 'darling'. I just don't see 'sit' meaning 'one side of the table', even though we do, of course sit at one!

[JerryB]

Not babysit, unfortunately, Quizmonster - the S from scolopendrid is the 4th letter in 2A. Plus, 5D, the clue for which is "virago in trouble, inhaling lines - cocaine (7)" is, I think, HELLCAT - virago = hellcat, trouble = heat, lines = LL.

Assuming I'm correct, the pattern for 2A is ???SH??

[JerryB]

Whoops - should have added the C stands for cocaine in 5D.

[Quizmonster]

Acushla is the answer, then! A = one, cush = side of a pool/billiard table and la = look (old-fashioned).

[Quizmonster]

Oops! Should have added that 'acushla' is an Anglo-Irish word for 'darling'.

[crofter]

For 2 across, I rather like SMASHER. I haven't quite worked it out yet, but S = South (one side of a Bridge Table) and MASHER is a dandy or a beau. But could the MASHER be the "look" and the whole thing means "darling"? I haven't sorted out who does what!

[Quizmonster]

'Cush', as in 'The ball went in off the cush' - pronounced coosh - is an abbreviation for 'cushion' and certainly the name given to the sides and ends of pool/billiard tables. I'll take a lot of convincing that the answer isn't 'acushla', since the elements fit perfectly.

[elderly]

Thanks again ALL of you. I agree with QUIZMASTER, I have been off line all afternoon but have worked one or two more out. I have Asushia as I thought of the cushion on snooker tables that was the bit that gave it too me. Still working on quite a few of the other clues!!

[JerryB]

I got ACUSHLA, but couldn't work it out until Quizmonster's explanation (well, I could see the LA - look after bit, and I knew it was an obscure word for darling). Anyway, 3 down is CICUTA (poisonous plant extract smuggled by agents (6)), which confirms the C as the second letter.

[crofter]

SMASHER wasn't quite the smasher that I thought!

Hat's off to Quizmonkey and acushla!

[Quizmonster]

Hey! Quizmonster and acushla, Crofter! Hats off to Quizmonkey and John for scolopendrid. (This is intended as a joke, by the way!)

[crofter]

That goes without saying Quizmonkey and johnalex!

When I first saw SCOLOPENDRID, I was gob-smacked! It will be my new "word of the day". Without doubt - and no joking!