Crossword Genius

No time for doctor saying little (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

modicum

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

'little' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'no time for doctor saying' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'no' could be 'o' (resembles 0 - 'no' can mean 'zero') and 'o' is found within the answer.
'doctor' could be 'md' (synonyms) and 'md' is found within the leftover letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for modicum that I've seen before include "A small amount as of drink" , "touch" , "Mum, I cod about a small amount" , "suggestion" , "I cod Mum into providing a small quantity" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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