Crossword Genius

Like that old eccentric who starts his car by hand? (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

cranky

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

'eccentric who starts his car by hand?' is the definition.
'cranky' can be an answer for 'eccentric' (I've seen this before). I am unsure of the remainder of the definition.

'like that old' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'like' could be 'y' (similar in meaning) and 'y' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'crank' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for cranky that I've seen before include "Oddball" , "Grumpy, irritable" , "'Fractious, irritable (6)'" , "Crotchety" , "Eccentric, odd (colloq.)" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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.