Listener N0 4765 - Character Recognition By Vagans
Good day, I’m doing some mental gymnastics with Vagan’s “Character recognition”. There seems to be a fair share of anagrams here, but are quite tricky. I would appreciate some hints for the following and thanks in advance!
( Every clue contains a superfluous character that must be removed to enable solving. Removals always leave real words, sometimes needing spacing or punctuation adjusted. The removals in down clues form three groups of six; those in across clues describe another group, of which solvers must highlight four members (each in a straight line, 14 contiguous cells in all), thereby forming a fifth. The Chambers Dictionary (2016) is the primary reference; one answer is an abbreviation.)
ACROSS:
36 Washes out French article worn by male (7) LE?????
DOWN:
2 Band go bad after depression (6) : CO?C??
8 Opine Amir ill when mixing lubricant (10, two words): MIN???????
12 Will, perhaps, of some sad Parisian couple leading to hopelessness (11): SE?????????
13 Repeat stocking filler for the wicked that could blame crackling on the ingle (10): ?A??O?CO?L
25 Those in Calais keeping Tay in oil hauled up plates of sea gooseberries etc (6 ): ??G??S