Crossword Genius

Fitting carpet that’s oddly defective (3)

Ross

I think it could be either:

apt

pat

'fitting' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'carpet that's oddly defective' is the wordplay.
'that's oddly' indicates alternate letters (letters in the odd-numbered positions are used).
'defective' is an anagram indicator.
The alternate letters of 'carpet' are 'apt'.
'apt' is an anagram of 'PAT'.

(Other definitions for pat that I've seen before include "Affectionate gesture - postman" , "well-rehearsed" , "Apt for tender touch" , "'Light touch, on the back say (3)'" , "Some butter, maybe" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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