Crossword Genius

He gets red if a stranger addresses him (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

alf

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

'him' is the definition.

'he gets red if a stranger addresses' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'he' could be 'al' and 'al' is found within the answer.
A single letter 'f' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for alf that I've seen before include "Boy" , "Chap" , "Garnett or Ramsey?" , "See man" , "Mr Garnett" .)

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