What does the cryptic crossword clue "Local requirement to decorate a thousand or a million, say (3,5)" mean?

The wordplay uses a charade (building blocks). ICE (synonym="to decorate – a cake, for instance") + CUBES (synonym="CUBES") = ICECUBES The answer is ICECUBES.

Local requirement to decorate a thousand or a million, say (3,5)

Guardian Cryptic #29152 | 16 Down | 2023-08-18 flower

← Back to puzzle

Visit Guardian's puzzle site →