Crossword Genius

Fish eating seaweed that’s hypothetically perfect? (5,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ideal gas

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

'hypothetically perfect?' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'fish eating seaweed' is the wordplay.
'fish' becomes 'ides' (ide is a type of fish).
'eating' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'seaweed' becomes 'alga' (singular form of 'algae').
'ides' going around 'alga' is 'IDEAL GAS'.

'that's' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ideal gas that I've seen before include "that's chemically perfect?" , "hypothetical chemical" , "Fluid obeying a theory in chemistry" , "Hypothetical fluid" , "Perfectly-behaving substance in chemistry" .)

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