Crossword Genius

Loud elf unusually sad (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

doleful

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

'loud elf unusually' is the wordplay.
'unusually' is an anagram indicator.
'loud'+'elf'='loudelf'
'loudelf' is an anagram of 'DOLEFUL'.

(Other definitions for doleful that I've seen before include "Melancholic" , "not happy?" , "Sad" , "Cheerless" , "Dismal" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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