Crossword Genius

Belly get thinner? Tea and milky latex? (5,6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gutta percha

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

'milky latex?' is the definition.
'gutta percha' can be an answer for 'latex?' (I've seen this before). I am unsure of the 'milky' bit.

'belly get thinner? tea' is the wordplay.
'belly' becomes 'gut' (informal term for the stomach or gut).
'get thinner?' becomes 'taper' (I've seen this before).
'tea' becomes 'cha' (cha is a type of tea).
'gut'+'taper'+'cha'='GUTTA-PERCHA'

'and' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for gutta percha that I've seen before include "waterproof stuff wanted here" , "insulation, perhaps, provided" , "hard rubbery substance" , "something water-proof" , "Stuff used for insulating" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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