Crossword Genius

Johnny heartlessly pinches hooter, showing a lot of cheek (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

jowly

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

'a lot of cheek' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'johnny heartlessly pinches hooter' is the wordplay.
'heartlessly' says to hollow out the word (remove centre letters).
'pinches' is an insertion indicator (pinch can mean to steal).
'hooter' becomes 'owl' (owls hoot).
'johnny' with its centre taken out is 'jy'.
'jy' enclosing 'owl' is 'JOWLY'.

'showing' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.