Little Richard upholding volume, essentially playful (5)

I believe the answer is:

ludic

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'playful' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

I don't understand the rest of the clue.

(Other definitions for ludic that I've seen before include "Playing aimlessly" , "Playful; lucid (anag.)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.

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