Crossword Genius

Open square — place with a couple of extreme characters (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

plaza

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'open square' is the definition.
'plaza' can be an answer for 'square' (synonyms). I am not sure about the 'open' bit.

'place with a couple of extreme characters' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'place' could be 'pl' (abbreviation used in postal addresses) and 'pl' is present in the answer.
'a' is found in the answer.
'couple of extreme characters' could be 'za' (extreme letters of the alphabet) and 'za' is present in the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for plaza that I've seen before include "Public square, in Italy" , "Public square - shopping centre" , "Public square, as in Spanish town" , "Town square (Sp.)" , "Public square or market" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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