Crossword Genius

Lizard given tea and fruit outside rear of cafe (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

chameleon

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

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

'tea and fruit outside rear of cafe' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'tea' could be 'cha' (cha is a type of tea) and 'cha' is found in the answer.
'and' could be 'n' (common abbreviation for 'and') and 'n' is found within the answer.
'of' could be 'o' and 'o' is found within the answer.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

'given' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for chameleon that I've seen before include "Animal that changes colour" , "Small lizard able to change colour" , "Variable-colour reptile" , "Self-camouflaging lizard" , "fickle person" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.