Crossword Genius

Fat from a sheep's back, nothing on a lamb's head (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lanolin

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

'fat from a sheep's' is the definition.
'lanolin' can be an answer for 'fat' (I've seen this before). I am unsure of the 'from a sheep's' bit.

'back nothing on a lamb's head' is the wordplay.
'back' is a reversal indicator.
'nothing' becomes 'nil' (eg nil is zero in football).
'head' suggests taking the first letters.
The initial letter of 'lambs' is 'l'.
'nil'+'on'+'a'+'l'='nilonal'
'nilonal' in reverse letter order is 'LANOLIN'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lanolin that I've seen before include "Oil extracted from wool" , "Grease on sheep's wool" , "substance found in ointments" , "something on the Fleece" , "Wool extract used in some ointments" .)

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