Crossword Genius

Strip and remove shell of jet plane (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

kite

'jet plane' is the definition.
(old-fashioned slang term)

'strip and remove shell' is the wordplay.
'strip' becomes 'kit' (eg a football kit can be called a strip).
'and' says to put letters next to each other.
'remove shell' becomes 'e' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'kit'+'e'='KITE'

'of' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for kite that I've seen before include "Plaything flown in the wind" , "Light frame toy held on a string - bird of prey" , "Bird of prey; a plaything" , "A flying toy or sea bird" , "Flying toy or kind of hawk" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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