Crossword Genius

Blue as a lory can be (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

royal

'blue' is the definition.
(royal blue is a kind of blue)

'a lory can be' is the wordplay.
'can be' indicates anagramming the letters.
'a'+'lory'='alory'
'alory' is an anagram of 'ROYAL'.

'as' is the link.

(Other definitions for royal that I've seen before include "Old gold coin -- stag with 12 or more points" , "Befitting a monarch" , "Relating to a sovereign" , "Suitable for king or queen" , "Relating to kings/queens" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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