Crossword Genius

Honey woman returned some colouring matter (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

melanin

'matter' is the definition.
(melanin is a kind of matter)

'honey woman returned some colouring' is the wordplay.
'honey' becomes 'mel' (Latin name for honey).
'woman' becomes 'ina' ().
'returned' says the letters should be written backwards.
'some' means to look at the middle letters.
'colouring' becomes 'Henna' (reddish-brown dye).
The centre of 'henna' is 'n'.
'ina' back-to-front is 'ani'.
'mel'+'ani'+'n'='MELANIN'

(Other definitions for melanin that I've seen before include "Tanning pigment in skin" , "Pigment that accounts for skin colour" , "Brown skin pigment" , "Dark skin pigment" , "Light-absorbing skin pigment" .)

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