Crossword Genius

Having tin, long for informer (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

snitch

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

'for informer' is the definition.
(snitch is a kind of informer)

'having tin long' is the wordplay.
'having tin' becomes 'sn' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'long' becomes 'itch' (to long or itch for something is to desire it).
'sn'+'itch'='SNITCH'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for snitch that I've seen before include "who tells on his classsmate?" , "Inform on someone in slangy way" , "Inform on, tell tales" , "Telltale (sl.)" , "Steal; inform (on someone)" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app