Crossword Genius

Country in which, it's reported, they say "shells" (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

seychelles

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

'country' is the definition.
(Seychelles is an example)

'it's reported they say shells' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'it's' could be 'es' ('e' can mean 'electronic' which is similar to 'IT') and 'es' is found within the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'in which' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for seychelles that I've seen before include "Indian-Ocean islands" , "Island country" , "Island group in the western Indian Ocean" , "Indian Ocean islands" , "Group of islands" .)

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