Crossword Genius

Initially take a fine cheese in a stiff, lustrous material (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

taffeta

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

'a stiff lustrous material' is the definition.
'taffeta' can be an answer for 'material' (taffeta is a kind of material). I'm not certain of the 'a stiff lustrous' bit.

'initially take a fine cheese in' is the wordplay.
'initially' indicates taking the first letters.
'fine' becomes 'f' (abbreviation).
'cheese' becomes 'feta' (I've seen this before).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
The initial letter of 'take' is 't'.
'f' placed within 'feta' is 'ffeta'.
't'+'a'+'ffeta'='TAFFETA'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for taffeta that I've seen before include "Shiny fabric for fat fate" , "fine stuff indeed!" , "Shiny silk fabric" , "it has a fine texture" , "Fabric -- a fat eft (anag)" .)

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