"Orderly", says Spooner,"is mean and impoverished" (4,3,4)
I believe the answer is:
neat and tidy
'impoverished' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't judge whether this works.
'orderly says spooneris mean and' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'orderly' could be 'tidy' (associated in meaning) and 'tidy' is found in the answer.
'and' could be 'n' (common abbreviation for 'and') and 'n' is found in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
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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