Crossword Genius

Low quality T (5-4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

third-rate

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

'low quality t' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Perhaps you can see a link between them that I can't see?

'low quality' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'quality' could be 'rate' (I've seen this before) and 'rate' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'third' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for third-rate that I've seen before include "Very inferior in numerical way" , "Very inferior in quality - count down" , "Very inderior in quality - do a count" , "Very inferior in quality, using ordinal number" , "Of very poor quality" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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.