A bad buy, but it does take in the girl (10)

I believe the answer is:

catchpenny

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

'a bad buy but it' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'take in the girl' is the wordplay.
'take in' becomes 'catch' (synonyms).
'the girl' becomes 'penny' (woman's name).
'catch'+'penny'='CATCHPENNY'

'does' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for catchpenny that I've seen before include "Of little worth" , "superficially attractive" , "only after profit" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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.