Big cat caught small bottlenose in European city (6)

I believe the answer is:

lisbon

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

'european city' is the definition.
(capital of Portugal)

'big cat caught small bottlenose' is the wordplay.
'big cat' becomes 'lion' (lion is a kind of big cat).
'caught' is an insertion indicator.
'small bottlenose' becomes 'sb' (this could be a standard abbreviation of which I'm unaware).
'lion' enclosing 'sb' is 'LISBON'.

'in' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lisbon that I've seen before include "Portugal's capital" , "Portuguese capital" , "Capital of Portugal" , "Capital city and Treaty" , "Slob in Portuguese city" .)

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

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.