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I've been dipping my toe into the world of Mephisto to see if one day I might stand a chance of getting even one. I'm looking at solutions on the Times blog but sometimes I don't even understand the explanations!

Can anyone help me to understand this one?

23 Unsafe to associate with head missing coarse material about new cases (7)

The solution is UNCANNY, and the explanation on the blog says '[g]UN(CA,N)Y, where cases must be construed as a verb.'

I get that 'new' gives the N but can't understand the rest.

I think this is…
Defn = Unsafe to associate with
About = CA
New = N
Coarse material = (g)UNNY
With ‘cases’ indicating the envelope

Good evening.

Coarse material is GUNNY. Take off the "head" and put it around new (N) cases (CA)

Thank you both very much!

Another solution I don't fully understand:

7D A large island so far about to become refuge

Solution: ALSATIA

The blog parses it as 'A + L + AIT AS backwards'

I see that A = A, large = L, but don't understand the AIT AS bit.

Any help appreciated.

AIT is one of the many spellings of a small island (EYOT is another). I've seen "so" as "as", but I'm not convinced.

Thanks ChrisE, I'd not come across AIT before.

11D "Means to level ground of latest against being included" (10)

Solution: FLOATSTONE

I see that the definition is "means to level", with "ground" as an anagram indicator for "of latest" but can't see how "against" gives the remaining TO

In Chambers, one definition of 'to' is simply 'against' (but with no example given).

Thank you Malone!