Crossword Genius

Father, terribly lewd inside, dragged his feet (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dawdled

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'dragged his feet' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both to do with motion as well as being past participle verbs.
Perhaps there's a link between them I don't understand?

'father terribly lewd inside' is the wordplay.
'father' becomes 'dad' (informal term for father).
'terribly' is an anagram indicator.
'inside' is an insertion indicator.
'lewd' is an anagram of 'wdle'.
'dad' placed around 'wdle' is 'DAWDLED'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dawdled that I've seen before include "Wasted time" , "Lagged behind" , "Dallied, hung back" .)

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