Crossword Genius

Dead wrong about a soft pencil being applied (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dabbed

'applied' is the definition.
(dabbing is a kind of applying)

'dead wrong about a soft pencil' is the wordplay.
'wrong' is an anagram indicator.
'about' is an insertion indicator.
'a soft' becomes 'b' (black, as opposed to H for hard in pencils).
'pencil' becomes 'b'.
'dead' with letters rearranged gives 'daed'.
'b'+'b'='bb'
'daed' going around 'bb' is 'DABBED'.

'being' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for dabbed that I've seen before include "Touched lightly and quickly" , "Struck feebly in bad bed" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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