Crossword Genius

Doctor sends boy over for some soft material (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

modal

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'some soft material' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'doctor sends boy over' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'doctor' could be 'mo' (medical officer) and 'mo' is found within the answer.
'boy' could be 'dal' and 'dal' is found within the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'for' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for modal that I've seen before include "Relating to manner" , "Occurring most frequently in a population" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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