Crossword Genius

The stones make alarming sound, putting last couple off (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

scree

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'the stones' is the definition.
(scree is a mass of loose rocks on a mountain)

'make alarming sound putting last couple off' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'make' could be 'cree' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'cree' is located in the answer.
A single letter 's' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for scree that I've seen before include "Loose stones around a mountain" , "Talus" , "Loose shifting stones" , "bits of rock" , "Stony hillside" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.