Crossword Genius

Appetite's greater around noon (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hunger

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

'appetite's' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'greater around noon' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'noon' could be 'n' (abbreviation) and 'n' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'huger' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for hunger that I've seen before include "Thirst" , "Consequence of food deprivation" , "Crave" , "Craving for food" , "Aching need" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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