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...and yes to 30ac sunray.

'Coin slots', the wordplay for the non-word gives -

OTOSCL(n)SIS (n = the quarter that comes from the answer to the definition given in the clue just above it).

Hope this helps.

Thanks malone.

I thought of the three letter word but ignored it.
Little did I know that the colour has another meaning in Scottish language.

Thanks drxx.
This helps.
The word play gives a non-word. But after the n is replaced by three letters, it provides the definition. In this case the ear trouble.

Have to take a break but will try in a while.

That's right sunray.

Sat down to it this morning, baffled by the instructions at first. However light gradually dawned, and, with the help of this forum - thank you all for hints! - I've stumbled through, getting a nearly full grid.

But one letter eludes me. And I must have misallocated one 4 letter clue somewhere, because I'm left with 2 definitions for the last entry.

14ac I have ACI? It's either:

Sharp point presented by end of poniard (4) -
in which case ACID, I guess, from sharp - but have missed the ACI, and where's the point, usually NES or W?

Or:

Control movement of replica human (4) -
In which case a cis-human I guess - ACIS?

But which is right?

Can't decide. Can anyone help please?

Got it now thanks, I think.

Only now looking in having completed this puzzle. I agree with drxx (and muraria, though in my case it wasn't that early that I discovered how some of the numbered clues "worked") that without being specific the preamble regarding the missing phase could have been much clearer. Pity, a nice puzzle once the penny dropped though like others some solving was done retrospectively.

I've finished this like most folk by just finding definitions that fit in, like a jigsaw.
I understand all the Full moon clues, but didn't use the wordplay at all for the 1st and 3rd quarter ones. Seems a shame! (I don't like to be too critical, after the setter from two weeks ago got upset on the Fifteen Squared forum! About the Dire Straits one - which I rather liked.)

Me too, Lumen. After completing the grid I considered sitting down to figure out the phase replacements for the 1st and 3rd quarters, but figured life's too short. Not my favourite IQ; clever, yes, but not much fun.

Add me to the list of solvers who have completed the grid without really having any idea how any of the moon phase stuff works. The whole thing for me was a process of solving the numbered clues and then back-fitting definitions in the "quarters" clues to words which were the sole possibilities within the grid. Meh, as my daughter would say.