Having discovered, from reading the Big Dave's comments section, that the Cryptic is a pangram which I found out means that all the letters of the alphabet must be in the grid (and which I vaguely remember having found out years ago), I now have only three clues unfinished at top left-hand corner One of them must, I hope contain an X!!. May I have a hint, please, for
4 down: Scotsman before long getting wind (7)
Letters: M - - - O - N
I know this clue has come up before and I know that 'ere' is sometimes a synonym for 'before', but that doesn't fit and I can't remember the answer.
And as soon as I press 'post', I think MONSOON sadly no X and anyway, why 'monsoon'?!
So the X is in 3 down: TAXI, which makes 9 acrss: FLAXEN.
Completed now.