Crossword Genius

Each cleaner finished inside, parched and gloomy (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dreary

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

'gloomy' is the definition.
(I know that gloomy can be written as dreary)

'each cleaner finished inside parched' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'each' could be 'ea' (abbreviation) and 'ea' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'and' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dreary that I've seen before include "Dull and depressing" , "Overcast" , "Dismal, funeral" , "Gloomy and dismal" , "Dark" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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