Kings love to split up a dab of bicarb (6,4)
I believe the answer is:
baking soda
'bicarb' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are singular nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'kings love to split up a dab' is the wordplay.
'love' becomes 'o' (love means zero in tennis).
'to split' is an insertion indicator.
'up' says the letters should be written backwards (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'a'+'dab'='adab'
'adab' backwards is 'bada'.
'kings'+'o'='kingso'
'kingso' inserted inside 'bada' is 'BAKING-SODA'.
'of' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for baking soda that I've seen before include "possible antacid" , "Common name for sodium bicarbonate" .)