Crossword Genius

Harmful refusal by native Americans to swap tips (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

noxious

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

'harmful' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)

'refusal by native americans to swap tips' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'refusal' could be 'no' and 'no' is found within the answer.
'by' could be 'x' (2 by 4 is 2 x 4) and 'x' is located in the answer.
'americans' could be 'us' (United States) and 'us' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'io' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for noxious that I've seen before include "Pernicious" , "Harmful, toxic" , "Disgusting" , "bad for you" , "Harmful, poisonous" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.