Crossword Genius

Gentle entertainment at river, lying around eating tree nuts (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

operetta

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

'gentle entertainment' is the definition.
'operetta' can be an answer for 'entertainment' (I've seen this before). I'm not certain of the 'gentle' bit.

'at river lying around eating tree nuts' is the wordplay.
'river' becomes 'po' (Italian river).
'lying around' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'eating' is an insertion indicator.
'nuts' is an anagram indicator (nuts can mean crazy).
'at'+'po'='atpo'
'atpo' backwards is 'opta'.
'tree' anagrammed gives 'eret'.
'opta' going around 'eret' is 'OPERETTA'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for operetta that I've seen before include "The Mikado or The Gondoliers, say" , "Show" , "light-hearted performance" , "Musical entertainment" , "Theatre piece" .)

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.