Ev Clue

[British_Olympics]

23d Reductions primarily cracked up eighteen shoppers (4)

Answer: CUTS

One or more consecutive words must be anagrammed to a single word before solving. Presumably this is EIGHTEEN to a word beginning with T, but what is the anagram ?

At first sight it looked like 'Reductions' changes to INTRODUCES for CUES, but CUTS is definitely correct as it cross-checks with AUNT, the correct word starts with T as given by the quotation from first letters and the T in the grid provides one of Piglet's tails.

[roslyn251254]

cuts defo correct.
anagrammed word eighteen - thegenie
cuts from 1st letters of Cracked Up Thegenie Shoppers

That was what I thought but could well be wrong!

[British_Olympics]

Hi Roslyn, thanks for your reply
I haven't checked Collins but I can't find any reference to that word - what does it mean please ?

[roslyn251254]

2 words the genie ??? ... but that doesn't quite follow the preamble ?? Perhaps a word has been missed out in printing??
Oh well... we have the right answer....

[British_Olympics]

I wondered whether there might be a mistake myself, it's a huge coincidence that REDUCTIONS rearranges to INTRODUCES for CUES otherwise. Shall see if I can find any other discussion of this one, thanks Roslyn.