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Could someone please parse for me, including the definition:

3 down: Simplify a couple of clues before complaint finally begins (4,4).

I have t?n? d?w? The answer seems to be tone down and I can see the initial t if that is correct, but not the a couple of clues. Does tone down mean simplify?

Thanks in advance for any help.

t one down

is one down a couple of clues before 3 down??

If something was very ornate you could tone it down by simplifying it.

If you remove the T you are left with ONE DOWN which could be one clue. I'm not sure where the two come from though.

One down is a couple of clues before three down.