Note cheat backed sloth in the old country (7)
I believe the answer is:
laconia
'the old country' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are singular nouns.
Perhaps you can see an association between them that I can't see?
'note cheat backed sloth' is the wordplay.
'note' becomes 'la' (musical note as in do-re-mi).
'cheat' becomes 'con' (con is a kind of cheat).
'backed' is a reversal indicator.
'sloth' becomes 'ai' (ai is a kind of sloth).
'ai' back-to-front is 'ia'.
'la'+'con'+'ia'='LACONIA'
'in' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution?
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