Crossword Genius

Field study is dreary (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

leaden

'dreary' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'field study' is the wordplay.
'field' becomes 'lea' (lea can mean a meadow or field of grass).
'study' becomes 'den' (term for a study or office).
'lea'+'den'='LEADEN'

'is' is the link.

(Other definitions for leaden that I've seen before include "Oppressive" , "Heavy - plodding" , "Leaned over in slow, heavy way" , "Gloomy - slow-moving" , "Heavy or slow, like dark-gray metal" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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