Crossword Genius

A shade less well than usual? (3-6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

off-colour

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

'usual?' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?

'a shade less well than' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'shade' could be 'colour' (I've seen this before) and 'colour' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'off' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for off-colour that I've seen before include "Informally unwell, looking pallid or somewhat indecent" , "Unwell, lacking pigment?" , "Ailing - blue" , "Slightly unwell" , "Not in the pink?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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