I approach home properly (2,7)
I believe the answer is:
in earnest
'properly' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adverbs. Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'i approach home' is the wordplay.
'approach' becomes 'near' ('near' can be a synonym of 'approach'**).
'home' becomes 'nest' (I've seen this before).
'i'+'near'+'nest'='IN EARNEST'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for in earnest that I've seen before include "seriously" , "with serious intent" , "Not joking" , "With serious intention, not fooling about (2.7)" , "with enthusiasm" .)