What does the cryptic crossword clue "Area of ship shortly burning coal as winter starts (8)" mean?

The definition is "as winter starts". The wordplay uses a charade (building blocks). DEC (synonym="k") + EMBER (synonym="EMBER") = DECEMBER The answer is DECEMBER.

Area of ship shortly burning coal as winter starts (8)

Guardian Cryptic #29244 | 23 Across | 2023-12-04 flower

← Back to puzzle

Visit Guardian's puzzle site →