Crossword Genius

Mineral article absorbed by metal kitchen implement (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

alabaster

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

'mineral' is the definition.
(alabaster is a kind of mineral)

'article absorbed by metal kitchen implement' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'article' could be 'a' (the indefinite article in English) and 'a' is located in the answer.
'metal' could be 'la' (La is an example) and 'la' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'baster' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for alabaster that I've seen before include "Altar base (anag)" , "Form of gypsum used for carving" , "Arabs tale (anag.)" , "that's smooth and white" , "Altar base (anagr.)" .)

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app