Crossword Genius

Optimist that is swallowing what’s periodically in tabloid (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

idealist

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

'optimist' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'that is swallowing what's periodically in tabloid' is the wordplay.
'that is' becomes 'id est' ('that is' in Latin).
'swallowing' is an insertion indicator.
'what's periodically in tabloid' becomes 'ali' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'idest' going around 'ali' is 'IDEALIST'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for idealist that I've seen before include "Visionary" , "Person with lofty and unselfish aspirations" , "Perfectionist" , "wishful thinker" , "One who aims for perfection, may be unrealistic" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.