Crossword Genius

Going through the motions of typical nag's waste (4-6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

play-acting

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'going through the motions of' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'typical nag's waste' is the wordplay.
'waste' indicates anagramming the letters (I've seen 'wasted' mean this).
'typical'+'nag'='typicalnag'
'typicalnag' with letters rearranged gives 'PLAY-ACTING'.

Can you help me to learn more?

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