Crossword Genius

Dim female isn't slangy (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

faint

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

'dim' is the definition.
(I know that dim can be written as faint)

'female isn't slangy' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'female' could be 'fa' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'fa' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'int' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for faint that I've seen before include "Swoon; indistinct" , "dull" , "woozy" , "Barely perceptible" , "Swoon, lose consciousness" .)

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