Crossword Genius

Bend in river is more tight around delta (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

meander

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

'bend in river' is the definition.
'meander' can be an answer for 'bend' (thesaurus). I am unsure of the 'in river' bit.

'more tight around delta' is the wordplay.
'more tight' becomes 'meaner' ('mean' can be a synonym of 'tight').
'around' is an insertion indicator.
'delta' becomes 'd' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'meaner' placed around 'd' is 'MEANDER'.

'is' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for meander that I've seen before include "windy" , "Wander in leisurely way, like stream" , "Dear men (anag) - wander" , "Wander aimlessly like a stream" , "Wind (like a river)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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