Crossword Genius

Loafer, perhaps, with small gardening tool (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

shoe

'loafer perhaps' is the definition.
(loafer is a kind of shoe)

'with small gardening tool' is the wordplay.
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'gardening tool' becomes 'hoe' (hoes are used for gardening).
's' put next to 'hoe' is 'SHOE'.

(Other definitions for shoe that I've seen before include "Perhaps casual" , "Sandal or brogue?" , "Eg, brogue" , "mule, perhaps?" , "Case for cards in a casino" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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