Crossword Genius

What may have part to play in temperature falling in cold office? (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

clarinet

'what may have part to play' is the definition.
(clarinet is a kind of musical instrument)

'in temperature falling in cold office?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'in' is present in the answer.
'temperature' could be 't' (abbreviation) and 't' is located in the answer.
'cold' could be 'c' (eg on taps) and 'c' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'lare' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

(Other definitions for clarinet that I've seen before include "that works off wind" , "Find an instrument in claret" , "Single-reed straight-tubed instrument" , "Music maker" , "Source of music" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.