Crossword Genius

Asian mother outside the church (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

malay

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'asian' is the definition.
(I know that Malay is a type of asian)

'mother outside the church' is the wordplay.
'mother' becomes 'ma' (ma can mean mother).
'outside the church' becomes 'lay' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'ma'+'lay'='MALAY'

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I've seen this clue in The Irish News.
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