Crossword Genius

Little chap left behind by me (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mel

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'behind by me' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'little chap left' is the wordplay.
'little' means to remove the last letter (the word is not quite complete).
'chap' becomes 'men' (more than one chap or man).
'left' becomes 'l' (common abbreviation).
'men' with its final letter taken away is 'me'.
'me'+'l'='MEL'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for mel that I've seen before include "Honey" , "-- Brooks, film director" , "- - Gibson (actor)" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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