Mournful English member getting first clue (7)

I believe the answer is:

elegiac

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'mournful' is the definition.
(synonym)

'english member getting first clue' is the wordplay.
'english' becomes 'E' (abbreviation as in OED).
'member' becomes 'leg' (member can mean a limb).
'getting' becomes 'ia' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'first clue' becomes 'c' (ist letter of 'clue').
'e'+'leg'+'ia'+'c'='ELEGIAC'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for elegiac that I've seen before include "of valedictory works" , "Mournful as in Gray's poem" , "Poetic, mournful" , "Mournful, lamenting" , "Wistfully mournful" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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