Crossword Genius

Iberian, say: what had him in a funk? (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hispanic

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

'iberian' is the definition.
(relating to Spain - Spain is part of Iberia)

'what had him in a funk?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'him' could be 'hi' and 'hi' is found within the answer.
'a' could be 'an' and 'an' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'spic' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'say' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for hispanic that I've seen before include "I can ship (anag.)" , "Relating to Spain" , "like Don Quixote" , "Of Spain and Spanish-speaking countries" , "Spanish-speaking American" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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