Layer of eastern porcelain broken by daughter (7)
I believe the answer is:
echidna
'layer' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both animals as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'eastern porcelain broken by daughter' is the wordplay.
'eastern' becomes 'e'.
'porcelain' becomes 'china' (china is a kind of porcelain).
'broken by' is an insertion indicator (inserted letters break into the word).
'daughter' becomes 'd' (genealogical abbreviation).
'china' placed around 'd' is 'chidna'.
'e'+'chidna'='ECHIDNA'
'of' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for echidna that I've seen before include "Spiny Aus. mammal" , "Australian creature" , "Toothless type" , "Spiny egg-laying Australian mammal" , "One preying on the workers" .)