Crossword Genius

Dim leader of Britain, a tragic figure (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

blear

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

'leader of britain a tragic figure' is the wordplay.
'leader of' suggests taking the first letters.
'a tragic figure' becomes 'lear' (from Shakespeare's King Lear).
The first letter of 'britain' is 'b'.
'b'+'lear'='BLEAR'

(Other definitions for blear that I've seen before include "Indistinct" , "Blur" , "Make (the eyes) dim" , "Watery, blurred" , "Baler (anag.)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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