Crossword Genius

Lo-cal treacle taken regularly, as stated on the tin (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

literal

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'stated on the tin' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'lo-cal treacle taken regularly' is the wordplay.
'lo-cal' becomes 'lite' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'taken regularly' indicates alternate letters.
The alternating letters of 'treacle' are 'ral'.
'lite'+'ral'='LITERAL'

'as' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for literal that I've seen before include "According to the letter" , "Unimaginative" , "Textual error" , "Lacking imagination; misprint" , "Avoiding embellishment" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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