One last query :-
High temperature reducing, but not initially (8) ?O?E?I?G This is a normal clue not linked to the theme. I suspect the answer is (G)LOWERING, which satisfies a definition of "reducing" and the loss of an initial letter.
But I'm not very happy about GLOWERING to represent "High temperature", because to "glower" means "to stare frowningly " or "to scowl" which is a far cry from the high temperature implications of to "glow". Am I justified in not being very happy, or am I missing something?