Babes by Aedites

Puzzle explanation

The jumbled entries were: 1 tabun, 2 gutta, 3 ukase, 4 tragi, 5 crawl, 6 rille, 7 assay, 8 liard, 9 peeve, 10 ounce, 11 wedge, 12 lathe, 13 tenné, 14 armil, 15 lemel, 16 rider. The quotations were “What are little girls made of?” with its traditional answer “Sugar and spice” adapted in valentine style as “Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, and so are you”. The inner ring contained four examples of “little” girls: Dee, Lea, Sal and Rae.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Clues
1a TABUN TAB + UN
1b LYTTA Even letters
1c ANTRE ARE(a) about NT
2a SOLOS SOLO + S (7), reference plural of SOLO
2b GUTTA TA after GUT
2c SOLDE SOL + DE
3a UKASE AS in UKE
3b -ALGIA I in ALGA; “ending for” indicates suffix
3c SKEGG SK + EGG
4a SPICA (I + C) in SPA
4b TRAGI TRAGI(c)
4c ACINI AC + IN + I
5a SURAL LARUS <
5b CRAWL Two definitions
5c LILLE ILL in LE
6a RASTA (A + TSAR) <
6b TASAR T(h)A(t’)S + AR
6c RILLE (d)RILLE(d)
7a REMEN RE + MEN
7b DIMER RIMED*
7c ASSAY AS + SAY
8a LIARD Two defintions
8b ALDEA A DEAL*
8c OMASA O + MASA
9a EVERY EVER + Y
9b PEEVE PEE + V + E
9c OHONE O + HONE
10a OFFED OFF + ED
10b OUNCE ONCE about U
10c DEFER FREED*
11a SEWED S + E + WED; the last part an obsolete term for wager
11b WEDGE W + EDGE
11c ETHOS ETH + OS
12a EVADE AD in EVE
12b LATHE LATHE(e)
12c REAVE EVER < about A (it)
13a ENTER RENTER – R
13b DWALE WEALD*
13c TENNÉ TENNE(r)
14a ARMIL ARM + (L + I’) <
14b LARGO LAR + GO
14c VEALE E in VALE
15a LEESE ES in LEE
15b LEMEL LEME + L
15c TULLE TUILLE – I’
16a RIDER Two definitions
16b SELLE ELL in SE
16c ERICA RICE* + A
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