Operative undertaking to block backing of corporation (8)
I believe the answer is:
factotum
'operative' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both people as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps there's an association between them I don't understand?
'undertaking to block backing of corporation' is the wordplay.
'undertaking' becomes 'act' (I've seen this in another clue).
'to block' means one lot of letters goes inside another (upper walls off glass inside formal).
'backing' says the letters should be written backwards.
'corporation' becomes 'tum' ('corporation' can humorously mean belly fat).
'of' backwards is 'fo'.
'act' going inside 'fo' is 'facto'.
'facto'+'tum'='FACTOTUM'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for factotum that I've seen before include "General servant" , "Odd-job servant" , "Employee who does many jobs" , "junior official" , "Man of all work" .)