Crossword Genius

Even bits of blues appropriated by composer to make Whiter Shade of Pale ? (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

bleach

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

'pale ?' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'even bits of blues appropriated by composer' is the wordplay.
'even bits of' indicates alternate letters.
'appropriated by' means one lot of letters goes inside another (I've seen this in other clues).
'composer' becomes 'bach' (Bach is an example).
The alternate letters of 'blues' are 'le'.
'le' inserted inside 'bach' is 'BLEACH'.

'to make whiter shade of' acts as a link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for bleach that I've seen before include "Household cleaner" , "Whiten by sunlight or chemicals" , "Sink and toilet cleaner" , "Peroxide" , "Household cleanser" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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.