Crossword Genius

Layer on article turned to shade of red (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

henna

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

'shade of red' is the definition.
'henna' can be an answer for 'red' (I've seen this before). I am not certain of the 'shade of' bit.

'layer on article turned' is the wordplay.
'layer' becomes 'hen' (something which lays - eggs in this case).
'on' says to put letters next to each other.
'article' becomes 'an' (indefinite article).
'turned' is a reversal indicator.
'an' in reverse letter order is 'na'.
'hen'+'na'='HENNA'

'to' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for henna that I've seen before include "Cosmetic plant dye" , "Red-brown dye used for body decorations" , "Red-brown plant dye" , "Shrub used for cosmetic colouring" , "Reddish brown dye used on hair" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Globe and Mail.
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