Special, Friday 19 Oct 2018, Karthikeyan

Three answers per commenter as usual till 6 PM (Annotations compulosry)
Please provide all your answers in one comment

PREAMBLE

This crossword variant has three extra features added to the standard THC and the instructions to solve are given below:

1. Each four letters clue’s wordplay indicates one extra letter (appearing anywhere) not required in its solution; for e.g. if the clue reads " Amusement with small wine (4) " wordplay leads us to the answer SPORT; delete the first letter S from SPORT and fit the grid with PORT as the solution; it could also be SPOT after deleting R or SORT after deleting P.

The letter deletion could be anywhere in the answer got from wordplay; solver has to make the appropriate decision on which letter should be deleted as per the solution grid; Also the resultant four letters arrived at will be meaningful.

All such 4-letter clues are starred and they are 10 in count. Across: 10,12,17,20,25,29;    Down: 4,6,26,28.

Rest of the clues are to be solved in normal manner.

2. The letters from the outermost squares upon completion spell out six-word phrase (8,3,5,4,3,5); It is an extra clue to be solved, but only to be announced after the grid is solved.

3.  All the key words of the phrase fit in Across: 13,19,27. Hence no clues are given for them. Fit the phrase words appropriately in the solution grid.

ACROSS

8   Turned outwards after old resort is renovated (8)

9   Mae West demanded "______ , peel me a grape" (6)

10 Behind it, there are no gowns in Washington* (4)

11 Unsound coins concerned with sound (5)

12 Distribute 100 each from treasury* (4)

13 Refer instruction No. 3 (8)

15 Acey-ducey or blitz in football (3,3)

17 Leavening agent, though containing arsenic* (4)

19 Refer instruction No. 3 (5)

20 Italian sauce extracted regularly from press ethos* (4)

21 Sort of confrontation in which pullet is full of flap (4,2)

22 Laud inca playing an organ stop (8)

25 Letter of intent finally generated heat* (4)

27 Refer instruction No. 3 (5)

29 Scoff at gold carried by explosive* (4)

30 Abundant divests initially one-third for a grammatical case (6)

31 Medico needs work permits to administer drips (8)

DOWN

1   Old pronounced fire to soon disappear (6)

2   Delayed expert performed outside Turkey (10)

3   French American volunteers design truncated cones (6)

4   Occupy heart of a foreigner* (4)

5   Starters made from organic beet & spinach salad contain remedy for blinds (8)

6   House fly genus or a small constellation* (4)

7   Heavyweights boxing painful, yet they move faster than light (8)

14 FIFA18 semifinalist, dropping no good runner in South Africa (5)

16 Of French publicity, one against can be suppressible (10)

18 Sadly Leo leaves ruined stately home, to find a purple quartz (8)

19 Racketeer permits tax to be levied in violent anger (8)

23 Electronic brain reflected from despot, palely (6)

24 A lack of practice in cricket or a reason enough not to go fishing (2,4)

26 A court procedure mostly seen in courts* (4)

28 Aborigine's daughter surrounded by Hindu scripture* (4)

Acrosslite version can be accessed at KARTHIK 6

Enjoy.