Crossword Genius

Innocently begin badly, just avoiding duck (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

benignly

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

'innocently' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adverbs. Perhaps you can see a link between them that I don't see?

'begin badly just avoiding duck' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
an anagram of 'begin' is 'benig' which is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app