Crossword Genius

Weed in cool river tickles bathers on the bottom (14)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hippopotamuses

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

'bathers on the bottom' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are plural nouns, I don't see how they can define each other.

'weed in cool river tickles' is the wordplay.
'weed' becomes 'pot' (synonyms).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'cool river' becomes 'hippo' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'tickles' becomes 'amuses' (tickle can mean to entertain or amuse).
'hippo'+'amuses'='hippoamuses'
'pot' inserted into 'hippoamuses' is 'HIPPOPOTAMUSES'.

Can you help me to learn more?

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.