Crossword Genius

Examine tiny creature quietly in there (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

inspect

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

'examine' is the definition.
(I know that examine can be written as inspect)

'tiny creature quietly in there' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'quietly' could be 'p' (p for piano and quiet) and 'p' is found within the answer.
'creature' could be 'insect' (insect is a kind of creature) and 'insect' is present in the leftover letters.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for inspect that I've seen before include "Look over carefully" , "Go over" , "Study" , "Examine officially" , "Scan" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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