Crossword Genius

For poet the smallest thing leads to row (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

whittier

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

'for poet' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'the smallest thing leads to row' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'thing' could be 'it' and 'it' is present in the answer.
'row' could be 'tier' (tier is a kind of row) and 'tier' is found in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for whittier that I've seen is " Poet".)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.