Crossword Genius

Contest jam being very thin (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

matchstick

'very thin' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'contest jam' is the wordplay.
'contest' becomes 'match' (match is a kind of contest).
'jam' becomes 'stick' (jam can mean to get stuck).
'match'+'stick'='MATCHSTICK'

'being' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for matchstick that I've seen before include "sort of model" , "Very thin, like figures in Lowry paintings" , "(Of a figure) drawn using thin straight lines" , "Childishly pictured man" , "Wooden part of lighter" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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