MEPHISTO 2625

[crucifernz]

Need to confirm with explanations please.

1 DOWN
Idle group under sergeant-major drank whisky (6)

I have SMILED, but as a TT, don't see the connection with whisky...


26 DOWN
Pretty much willingly get on with soap and soda (6)

_U_GE_

Thanks in advance.

[foxspur]

I'm not sure about 13ac but I have MOKOVO, the first part of which you will know from NZ.

[foxspur]

Re my previous answer, I have just found in Chambers that a SMILE is a drink.

[crucifernz]

Hi Foxspur
For 13 ACROSS I have INCAVO (the 'N' comes from 2 DOWN BONSPIEL

INCA (Amerind) + VO (Very old)

Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary:
also Incision, Incisive, Incisiveness

Bite, Cut, edge, Engrave, episiotomy, Incavo, Lobotomy, McBurney's, Mordant, Notch, Phlebotomy, Punchy, Rhizotamy, Scarf, Scribe, Slit, Surgical, Thoracotomy, Tracheotomy, Trenchant

[foxspur]

Thanks crucifer, that's a big help!! 24 ac is KIRMESS which gives you S as the first letter in 26dn.

[factor-fiction]

I assume SUD is in their somewhere

[crucifernz]

Oops, I had the S, so it's

SU_GE_

Surge used to be kind of soda (fizzy drink)

The G comes from 32 ACROSS

Chambers Word Wizard gives only

SURGED
SURGER
SURGES

[Jimbrock]

I think that 28 across in MANITO (MANO with IT inside), which might help towards 26 down...

[JMR27]

26d soogee

[crucifernz]

Thanks folks - that makes much more sense. I had MANITU, hence the U.

Any more thoughts on 1 DOWN as per my original post?

[JMR27]

In Chambers, smile is defined: to drink, esp. whisky (old slang)

[crucifernz]

Thanks for clarification JMR27. I don't have hard copy Chambers.