Crossword Genius

Tense, work not as much? Adult model may appear thus (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

topless

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

'much? adult model may appear thus' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'tense work not' is the wordplay.
'tense' becomes 't' (grammatical abbreviation).
'work' becomes 'op' (common abbreviation for 'opus').
'not' becomes 'less' (I've seen this in other clues).
't'+'op'+'less'='TOPLESS'

'as' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for topless that I've seen before include "With chest totally exposed" , "Naked above the waist" , "Without a shirt, vest or bra?" , "As a Page Three girl?" , "Wearing no clothing above the waist" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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