What does the cryptic crossword clue "Half, nearly three quarters of words explosive (6)" mean?

The definition is "explosive". The wordplay uses a charade (building blocks). SEM (deletion) + TEX (deletion) = SEMTEX; definition: "explosive" The answer is SEMTEX.

Half, nearly three quarters of words explosive (6)

Guardian Cryptic #28945 | 16 Down | 2022-12-20 flower

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