Crossword Genius

Girl who could have a lead in opera (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ida

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

'girl' is the definition.

'have a lead in opera' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'id' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'who could' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ida that I've seen before include "princess on stage" , "Poetic princess" , "Cretan mountain - Gilbert and Sullivan princess" , "Princess __ (G&S comic opera)" , "Classic mount" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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