Best Mates By Chalicea

[Matakari]

Good Sunday morning to NACW and team of helpers for
getting me through Fieldfare’s “Clueless”. It was a great
experience and I am elated that I managed to crack the
Unclueds as soon as I got 39/1. Now, I’m taking up the
challenge of Chalicea again with Best Mates till I can
get the ST and Mephisto. I am stuck on the following
and am appealing again for answers/hints. Many thanks
in advance!

ACROSS:
9 Drop of ale in beer mug for native of ancient Ionia (5): ??IA? ( PRIAM )
11 He's on gym exercises and muscle proteins (7) : ???G??S ( WEIGHTS )
13 Painstaking eccentric fellow with 'self-build', ignoring odds (7): ??R??U (CAREFUL)
32 Ponder about a truncated hollow chamber on a major blood vessel (8) : P?Y??A??
37 Heartless cold associate in common prison (5): C????

DOWN:
10 No longer refused crude rubber found in lump (6) : ?OULD? (MOULDY )
22 A venomous lizard turning up an aquatic organism (4) : A?G? ( ALGA )
26 Men's icier terror losing all restraints in Spanish event (8) : ?N??EY??
36 Shakespeare's chief witch, malignant hag ripping out heart (5) : ?ECA?

[roslyn251254]

9a letters good ...beer mug is the german one ...minus a letter
11a anagram of 1st 3 words ...minus a letter
13 yes
32 Y is wrong....defn is major bood vessel
37 heartless cold = CD D is extra ...then you need a 4 letter word for associate or bit of a chain
10d letters are good starts with N
22d yes the lizard was gila so i is extra
26d the y is wrong ...take the middles of mENs icier terror ...then lose a letter for the spanish event
38 letters good ...defn shakepeares chief witch ..i googled her

[Matakari]

Thanks for the hints, roslyn! I'm studying them now!

[Matakari]

My grateful thanks for the hints, Roslyn251254, but I still can’t fathom these.
Perhaps I should just request the answers and see how the parsing works.
For 9A I now have “ASIAN”, but can’t find anything for 10(D) “NOULD?"
11(A) : ??LG?NS
32(A) : P???CA??
37(A) : ??I??
36(D) : ?ECA?
10 (D) : NOULD?
23(A) Performing group is sadly scattered with alto and soprano missing (6) : ??CT?T

[saladdodger]

9a A = drop of ale inside (S)tein giving TEIAN...of ancient ionia
11 No L in there....anagram of hesongym missing one letter....try using the chambers word wizard minus 1 letter each time...should son give you what you need
32 ponder = pore ...truncated hollow chamber is cav(e)....
37 C + ???? ???? are the ....of a chain
10d put your letters in the chambers word wizard
36d HECAT
23a 10 players are in the group

[Matakari]

Many thanks, Saladdodger and Roslyn, unfortunately I do not possess the Chambers wizard. I'm at a sore disadvantage here.

[roslyn251254]

it's online ...you just go here...no subscriptions needed...
https://chambers.co.uk/puzzles/word-wizard/

[Neveracrossword]

Matakari,I'm sure you must have been directed to the Chambers wordwizard at some time in the past decade or so! I hope the answers and big hints here will spur you on now - the theme is quite good fun.

[Matakari]

Many thanks for the info on Chambers word wizard! I always thought subscription was needed.

[Matakari]

Well, yes, I've now got all the clues answered. Thanks for
the interesting hints and opening my eyes to Chambers Wizardry!
I am no good at finding extra letters and extra words, but for my own fun and delight, could someone suggest where to start my quest for the two characters and three films? Thanks again!

[Neveracrossword]

Matakari, glad your 'sore disadvantage' was offset by the usual generosity from ABers. I'm sure you will make full use of the wordwizard. As for the help you're seeking for the theme, look in the obvious place for where something would start in a themed puzzle. There will also be partial words in some area of the perimeter, those should be beneficial too.

[Tilly2]

36 Hecat(e)

[Matakari]

Ok, NACW, the hunt is on!

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks, Matakari. After the huge amount of help you'd had, I was expecting you to be all fired up to get the characters and films by yourself! Are you going to tackle the final stage, dealing with the instruction?

[Matakari]

Eureka! I think the pin has dropped, but I need to check this carefully before I get too excited! I'm going for a shave and I'll be back, hi, hi, hi!

[Neveracrossword]

Matakari, thanks for the update - that sounds great! Once you have any part of the theme, I expect it will all fall into place.

[Matakari]

Yes, I'm proud now to have got the characters and the films by myself. I need, however, to check three clues.
14 (A) Old private detectives call for attention (4) : O?ES
( OYES )
31(A) New fracas damaged US motor sport (6): NAS?A?
( NASCAR )
5(D) Too bright in Glasgow to propel boat between river and railway (5) : ROAR? ( ROARY )

As I mentioned before, I'm quite weak at finding extra letters and extra words, but I assume that the final instruction would be to underline the two characters and the three films. Thanks again!

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks, Matakari.

Yes to Oyes - the private detectives were 'eyes'
Yes to Nascar - so you'll get the extra letter easily enough (from 'new fracas damaged)
Yes to Roary too.

No, that's not the instruction - far too simple! I think you must have enough extra letters - even just from the AB-assisted answers - to spot some words...

[Matakari]

Will have a good look at this last part, NACW! Many thanks!