Crossword Genius

Emperor a bit overwhelmed by the hard stuff (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

bonaparte

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

'emperor' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'a bit overwhelmed by the hard stuff' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'a' is present in the answer.
'bit' could be 'part' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'part' is found in the answer.
'stuff' could be 'bone' (bone is a kind of stuff) and 'bone' is found in the remaining letters.
No letters remain.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for bonaparte that I've seen before include "Napoleon family" , "French military leader" , "Old leader" , "Napoleon's family name" , "Extremely delicate and light" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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