Crossword Genius

Get head and tail of garter snake (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

grasp

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

'get' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

'head and tail of garter snake' is the wordplay.
'head' becomes 'g' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'tail of' indicates one should take the final letters.
'snake' becomes 'asp' (asp is a kind of snake).
The last letter of 'garter' is 'r'.
'g'+'r'+'asp'='GRASP'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for grasp that I've seen before include "Seize firmly - or understand (5)" , "Firmly grip" , "Hold - understanding" , "Support; rugby player" , "Seize, hold firmly" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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.