Crossword Genius

Bachelors, I see, are fairly primitive (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

basic

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

'fairly primitive' is the definition.
'basic' can be an answer for 'primitive' (thesaurus). I'm not sure about the 'fairly' bit.

'bachelors i see' is the wordplay.
'bachelors' becomes 'bas' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'see' becomes 'c' (the word for the letter, according to Chambers).
'bas'+'i'+'c'='BASIC'

'are' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for basic that I've seen before include "vital" , "'Primary, fundamental (5)'" , "Straightforward" , "essential" , "Staple; ordinary" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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