Crossword Genius

One shy man with instrument in temple, tense (9,6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

shrinking violet

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

'one shy' is the definition.

'man with instrument in temple tense' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'man' could be 'king' (king is a kind of man) and 'king' is found in the answer.
'instrument' could be 'viol' (viol is a kind of instrument) and 'viol' is found within the answer.
'in' is present in the answer.
'tense' could be 't' (abbreviation used in many dictionaries) and 't' is found within the answer.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for shrinking violet that I've seen before include "wallflower" , "Plant not growing" , "Exaggeratedly shy person" , "Person not likely to stand out" , "shy type" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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