Nil-nil encapsulating the dull second half performance of players? (7)
I believe the answer is:
othello
'performance of players?' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.
'nil-nil encapsulating the dull second half' is the wordplay.
'nil' becomes 'O' (O resembles 0).
'nil' becomes 'O' (O resembles 0).
'encapsulating' is an insertion indicator (inserted letters are absorbed or encapsulated).
'second half' suggests halving the letters.
'o'+'o'='oo'
'dull' with half the letters taken is 'll'.
'the'+'ll'='thell'
'oo' placed around 'thell' is 'OTHELLO'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for othello that I've seen before include "He killed his wife Desdemona" , "Shakespeare tragedy" , "player from Stratford" , "Hello to Shakespeare's Moor" , "Old Black Ram!" .)