Mephisto 2502

[Mikejas]

10d Perpatetic philosopher getting a mention. (8) ?AND?RE? (possibly either wanderer or wandered but can't fit in the philosopher)
16d Fear about a letter being used for the first time (8) ?LE?HIN? (is the letter ETH and what is the fear?)

[kayakamina]

FLE SHIN G ....usefor the first time....FLEG -frighten

[GRM]

10d wanderer - homophone of wonderer

[Mikejas]

Thanks Kayakamina. You would have thought that someone from Scotland would have got FLEG but I still can't see the SHIN part as the letter. Any explanation for that?

[kayakamina]

The 21st letter of theJewish alphabet SHIN

[Mikejas]

Thanks GRM - quite simple really. Strangely enough I was just saying to my wife that usually there are about 10 words each week in Mephisto that I have never heard before. But this week there were only two

[Mikejas]

How do you know all these things Kayakamina? I looked up SHIN but I used my old edition of Chambers and I didn't find it there.

[kayakamina]

Mike

Can I extend this by asking you (A Scot) about my final clue in AZED?
23a Talisker's No.1 and so Scotch coming from it! (4)

E?ST - must be east but why ?

[kayakamina]

Maybe it's listed under Sin?

When you've been crosswords for 65 years some things you remember.

Regards K

[Rapparee]

Talisker's no 1 = T
So Scotch = sae
reversed (coming from it, i.e. east) = east

[kayakamina]

Thanks rapparee.

I should have seen that.

[Mikejas]

Rapparee beat me to it but I was only going to suggest that Talasker's first was T and haver on about Talisker being a Skye whisky. As Skye is in the east that would only have served to muddy the water and been on the wrong track completely. Och aye!