Crossword Genius

Effeminate about model royal's critical point (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

epicentre

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

'critical point' is the definition.
'epicentre' can be an answer for 'point' (epicentre is a kind of point). I am unsure of the 'critical' bit.

'effeminate about model royal's' is the wordplay.
'effeminate' becomes 'epicene' (synonyms).
'about' is an insertion indicator.
'model' becomes 'T' (Ford Model T car).
'royal' becomes 'r' (common abbreviation e.g. RM - Royal Marine).
't'+'r'='tr'
'epicene' going around 'tr' is 'EPICENTRE'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for epicentre that I've seen before include "in the middle" , "Shakiest point" , "Geographical location for earthquake" , "Point on surface directly over an earthquake" , "Shocking scene" .)

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