Crossword Genius

Make rare gaffe initially being an outsider (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

underdog

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

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

'make rare gaffe initially' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'make' could be 'do' (synonyms) and 'do' is found within the answer.
'rare' could be 'r' (listed by Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations) and 'r' is found within the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'being' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for underdog that I've seen before include "outsider" , "certainly not a favourite!" , "No drudge (anag.)" , "Less fancied competitor" , "one not expected to win" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sun.
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.