Crossword Genius

Man has fish to be polite (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

genteel

'be polite' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'man has fish' is the wordplay.
'man' becomes 'gent' (gent is a kind of man).
'has' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'fish' becomes 'eel' (eel is a type of fish).
'gent'+'eel'='GENTEEL'

'to' is the link.

(Other definitions for genteel that I've seen before include "Courtly, cultivated" , "Marked by refinement in taste and manners" , "Mannerly" , "Well mannered" , "Artificially polite" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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