Crossword Genius

Animal wife evidently caught? (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

newt

'animal' is the definition.
(newt is a kind of animal)

'wife evidently caught?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'wife' could be 'w' and 'w' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'net' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

(Other definitions for newt that I've seen before include "Scientist" , "Semiaquatic amphibian" , "The epitome of drunkenness" , "Garden-pond amphibian" , "Medical worker" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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