What does the cryptic crossword clue "Dreadful pranks reportedly stopped by cold woman in charge (9)" mean?

The definition is "woman in charge". The wordplay uses a homophone (sounds like). DIRE (dreadful) + TRIX, homophone of (… reportedly) TRICKS (pranks) with insertion of (stopped by) C (cold) The answer is DIRECTRIX.

Dreadful pranks reportedly stopped by cold woman in charge (9)

Times Cryptic #28969 | 15 Down | 2024-07-15 flower

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