Crossword Genius

Man disembowelled by fish is in grave state (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

solemn

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

'grave state' is the definition.
'solemn' can be an answer for 'grave' (I've seen this before). I'm unsure of the 'state' bit.

'man disembowelled by fish' is the wordplay.
'disembowelled' suggests removing the centre.
'by' says to put letters next to each other.
'fish' becomes 'sole' (sole is a kind of fish).
'man' with its centre taken out is 'mn'.
'mn' after 'sole' is 'SOLEMN'.

'is in' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for solemn that I've seen before include "'Earnest, grave (6)'" , "Sober and serious" , "gloomy" , "pious" , "'Dignified, sombre (6)'" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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.