Crossword Genius

Fed outside shelter, an old minstrel (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gleeman

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

'old minstrel' is the definition.
'gleeman' can be an answer for 'minstrel' (thesaurus). I am unsure of the 'old' bit.

'fed outside shelter' is the wordplay.
'fed' becomes 'G-man' (both can mean a US federal agent).
'outside' means one lot of letters goes inside another (some letters go outside others).
'shelter' becomes 'lee' (as in lee side, the side sheltered from wind).
'gman' enclosing 'lee' is 'GLEEMAN'.

'an' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for gleeman that I've seen before include "Bard" , "one singing songs" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app