Crossword Genius

A country I work in I hate clearly (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ethiopia

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

'a country' is the definition.
(Ethiopia is an example)

'i work in i hate clearly' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'i' could be 'a' and 'a' is found in the answer.
'work' could be 'op' (abbreviation for opus) and 'op' is found in the answer.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ethiopia that I've seen before include "Strife-torn NE African country, capital Addis Ababa" , "Country formerly called Abyssinia" , "Landlocked Afr. country" , "Tie a Hopi up in Africa" , "Country once known as Abyssinia" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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