Crossword Genius

Fine fabric put over butter, say, and cheese (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

taffeta

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

'fine fabric' is the definition.
(type of delicate fabric)

'over butter say and cheese' is the wordplay.
'over' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'butter say' becomes 'fat' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'cheese' becomes 'feta' (type of cheese).
'fat' reversed gives 'taf'.
'taf'+'feta'='TAFFETA'

'put' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for taffeta that I've seen before include "A shiny silklike fabric" , "Fine crisp silk fabric" , "cloth" , "Shiny silk with a crisp texture" , "Shiny fabric for fat fate" .)

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