25 across
One’s
disempowered
when
had
by
those,
Spooner’s
Margaret,
Temple
and
MacLaine?
(5,3,7)
One’s disempowered when had by those, Spooner’s Margaret, Temple and MacLaine? (5,3,7)
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The definition is at the beginning of the clue.
How the clue works
The definition is One's disempowered when had by those — you've got someone by the short and curlies, they're utterly powerless. For the wordplay, Spooner gets his hands on "Court and Shirlies" — that's Margaret Court, the tennis player, plus the Shirleys (Temple and MacLaine, as the clue helpfully tells you) — and swapping the opening sounds of Court and Shirlies gives you SHORT AND CURLIES.