Crossword Genius

Bad-tempered companion of Mr Toad (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ratty

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

'bad-tempered' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'companion of mr toad' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'mr' could be 'ty' and 'ty' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'rat' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ratty that I've seen before include "his friend being a dangerous driver" , "Character created by Kenneth Grahame" , "Irritable (colloq.)" , "character on the river bank" , "Characteristic of pest" .)

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.