Crossword Genius

Low-priced soil? (4-5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dirt-cheap

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

'low-priced soil?' is the definition.
The definition and answer are not the same part of speech.

'low-priced soil?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'low' could be 'cheap' (I've seen this before) and 'cheap' is located in the answer.
'soil?' could be 'dirt' ('dirt' can be a synonym of 'soil') and 'dirt' is found in the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dirt-cheap that I've seen before include "Hardly costing anything" , "Extremely inexpensive" , "Hid carpet, being unclean and inexpensive" , "Bought for peanuts?" , "At very low price" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app