Fun fellow quietly put down herbal tea (8)

I believe the answer is:

playmate

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'fun fellow' is the definition.
'playmate' can be an answer for 'fellow' (thesaurus). I am not sure about the 'fun' bit.

'quietly put down herbal tea' is the wordplay.
'quietly' becomes 'p' (musical symbol).
'put down' becomes 'lay' (lay something down).
'herbal tea' becomes 'mate' (South American hot drink. I am not sure about the 'herbal' bit.).
'p'+'lay'+'mate'='PLAYMATE'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for playmate that I've seen before include "Game participant" , "My palate (anag.)" , "Child's companion" , "Chum in recreation" , "Child's friend" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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