Crossword Genius

A strident majority with a foot in both camps? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

astride

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

'a strident majority with a foot in both camps?' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'a strident majority with a foot' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'a' is found in the answer.
'foot' could be 'stride' (striding is a kind of footing) and 'stride' is located in the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for astride that I've seen before include "Not side saddle" , "With feet apart" , "Straddling (horse)" , "Passing across" , "With legs stretched apart - tirades (anag)" .)

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