Very good. I'd already solved much of this one myself... Significantly slower than you! Your explanations really help me parse the ones I've struggled with.
About Mephisto: 1. There is one clue type you don't often see in the daily, and that's the subtractive anagram. 2. General knowledge? That depends. If you know Spenser and Shakespeare well, and are familiar with Latin and Greek, and maybe a little Germanic phonology like Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse, you will do well.
Excellent!
Very good. I'd already solved much of this one myself... Significantly slower than you! Your explanations really help me parse the ones I've struggled with.
A fantastic solve.
Many thanks Ruddigore
Well done again David.... i biffed this by not reading 2D properley, because i knew her i rushed the answer and put van der leyen
I solved this one without having heard of Von der Leyen. OTOH, I did know Ashdod. Those were the two most difficult ones.
About Mephisto:
1. There is one clue type you don't often see in the daily, and that's the subtractive anagram.
2. General knowledge? That depends. If you know Spenser and Shakespeare well, and are familiar with Latin and Greek, and maybe a little Germanic phonology like Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse, you will do well.
Ashdod is a city in Israel
The largest port in the genocidal state, in fact.