Crossword Genius

Backing singer of swing, Yankee jazz fan and wild thing (5,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

alley cat

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

'wild thing' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't understand how one could define the other.

'backing singer of swing yankee jazz fan' is the wordplay.
'backing' is a reversal indicator.
'singer of swing' becomes 'ella' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'yankee' becomes 'Y' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'jazz fan' becomes 'cat' (slang term for a jazz fan).
'ella' in reverse letter order is 'alle'.
'alle'+'y'+'cat'='ALLEY-CAT'

'and' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for alley cat that I've seen before include "homeless creature" , "Stray mog" , "Stray urban feline" , "Homeless feline" , "City feline that prowls the back lanes" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.