Crossword Genius

Gloomy? Dicky calls her up (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sepulchral

'gloomy?' is the definition.
(sepulchral means tomb-like)

'dicky calls her up' is the wordplay.
'dicky' indicates an anagram (dicky can mean ill or non-functioning).
'calls'+'her'+'up'='callsherup'
'callsherup' with letters rearranged gives 'SEPULCHRAL'.

(Other definitions for sepulchral that I've seen before include "offering gloomy tones" , "from the grave" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app