Crossword Genius

Dwarf whales rolling on estuary banks (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dopey

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

'dwarf' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Maybe you can see a link between them that I can't see?

'whales rolling on estuary banks' is the wordplay.
'whales' becomes 'pod' (term for a group of whales).
'rolling' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'on' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'banks' says to hollow out the word (remove centre letters) (the sides or banks of the word).
'estuary' with its centre removed is 'ey'.
'pod' back-to-front is 'dop'.
'dop'+'ey'='DOPEY'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dopey that I've seen before include "Doc's slow-witted pal" , "Idiotic" , "Half asleep, or not too bright" , "One of Seven Dwarfs - not too bright" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app