Crossword Genius

Current US prosecutor with influence not half in Western state (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

idaho

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

'half in western state' is the definition.
'idaho' can be an answer for 'state' (Idaho is an example). I'm not certain of the 'half in western' bit.

'current us prosecutor with influence not' is the wordplay.
'current' becomes 'i' (symbol for electric current).
'us prosecutor' becomes 'da' (district attorney).
'with' says to put letters next to each other.
'influence not' becomes 'ho' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'i'+'da'+'ho'='IDAHO'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for idaho that I've seen before include "Another state" , "somewhere in the US" , "US state in the Rocky Mountains" , "One of 22 Across, capital Boise" , "Union member?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app