Crossword Genius

Duke's number 501, absorbed by what cow says to dog (4,6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mood indigo

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

'duke's number' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't judge whether this works.

'501 absorbed by what cow says to dog' is the wordplay.
'501' becomes 'di'.
'absorbed by' indicates putting letters inside.
'what cow says' becomes 'moo' (noise made by a cow).
'to dog' becomes 'dingo' (I've seen this before).
'moo'+'dingo'='moodingo'
'di' inserted into 'moodingo' is 'MOOD INDIGO'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for mood indigo that I've seen is " Duke Ellington song".)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.