Crossword Genius

Gets wise as British coinage declines (3,5,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

the penny drops

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

'gets wise' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't judge whether it can be defined by this definition.

'british coinage declines' is the wordplay.
'british' becomes 'the' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'coinage' becomes 'penny' (penny is a kind of coinage).
'declines' becomes 'drops' (dropping is a kind of declining).
'the'+'penny'+'drops'='THE PENNY DROPS'

'as' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for the penny drops that I've seen before include "Understanding finally dawns" , "Money falls" , "I comprehend" , "what happens in slot machine?" , "Now I see it" .)

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