Crossword Genius

Brief absence when one is below par (3,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

off day

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

'brief absence when one' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I cannot judge whether it can be defined by this definition.

'below par' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'below par' could be 'off' (I've seen this before) and 'off' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'day' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'is' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for off day that I've seen before include "when one's not at one's best?" , "Some leave" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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