Guardian Genius 225

[JJ109]

Wordplay in each of the down clues contains a superfluous letter. In clue order,
these spell out an instruction to remove six unpleasant figures from the completed
grid before submitting your entry.

I am going round the bend - I have solved all but two/three clues and I don't know what I have to do! It took 40 minutes to do the rest but 5 hours for the last little bit!

11d Vessel left on river invaded by sheep (4) E _ E _
(ewer or ewes or something else - remember there is a superfluous letter in the wordplay)
Also a texel is a sheep, river exe and Left
None of these seem to parse!!!

28a Old coin — the way edge has worn away (6) _ A _ N _ R
(Tanner but why?)
13a Child that is following captain in story (6) _ I _ D _ E
(KIDDIE - but why "in story")

The superfluous letters spell ERASESP_YSDEVILS
What the heck does that mean?

Many thanks

[aelmpvw]

13a isn't there a fictional captain kidd?

[JJ109]

I thought he was a real person Ael! - Captain William Kidd

[dannyk13]

Tanner is another word for the old sixpenny piece, but can't parse it.

[JJ109]

That is as far as I got Danny

[dannyk13]

JJ, the word manner could be 'the way' if that helps.

[aelmpvw]

i meant as well as the real captain kidd :-)

[JJ109]

I have just seen what the theme is getting at
I can now confirm the K of Kiddie is correct also!

[JJ109]

It is Tanner Danny - now I have the theme it begins TAN

[JJ109]

I now have seen the 6 theme words. They are all words for devils etc
28a Tanner is therefore definitely correct although I can't parse it. I have Tann_r

13a is KI_ D _ _ so looks like Kiddie
But I still need 11d E _ _ _ (although the third letter is an E if kiddie is correct)

But what can the missing letter be in "erasesp_ ysdevils"?

[JJ109]

Danny you were correct
The manner - hem = tanner

[roslyn251254]

instead of SP?YS it could be SP?ES ( E from ME - the writer, rather than MY)
spies?

[JJ109]

That would make the superfluous letter of 11d an "i"

[roslyn251254]

tainT in 16d rather than Stain then could give SPLIT which then makes sense (I'M for the writer gives the i)

[JJ109]

That certainly makes sense for the theme Ros!

That makes the superfluous letter for 11d an "L" -
E _ _ _ (superfluous letter L and probably 3rd letter an E)

[dannyk13]

JJm that would leave eft, a newt, so how would that fit in?

[Neveracrossword]

Isn't 11 D just Ewer, pitcher? L, left and R, river, with Ewe, sheep inside (invaded by). Then the L is dumped...

[JJ109]

Thanks Nac - I came to that conclusion also - but it seems strange to have a non word taking out the L to make a word!

[JJ109]

Thanks everybody - I am going with Kiddie and Ewer

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks, JJ109, the 11 D discussion seemed to be continuing, rather than being resolved!