Crossword Genius

Man, say, left supporting mother (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mammal

'man say' is the definition.
(man is a kind of mammal)

'left supporting mother' is the wordplay.
'left' becomes 'L' (common abbreviation).
'supporting' means one lot of letters go next to another (in a down clue, some letters go below others).
'mother' becomes 'mamma' (mamma is a kind of mother).
'l' put after 'mamma' is 'MAMMAL'.

(Other definitions for mammal that I've seen before include "Animal of a class giving birth to live young" , "Animal that nourishes its young with milk" , "Creature like man" , "Milk-secreting animal" , "Suckling animal" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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