Crossword Genius

Painter stern after spilling a thinner on the ground (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

rarer

'thinner on the ground' is the definition.

'painter stern after spilling a' is the wordplay.
'painter' becomes 'ra'.
'stern' becomes 'rear' ('rear' can be a synonym of 'stern').
'after spilling' suggests deleting specific letters.
'rear' with 'a' removed is 'rer'.
'ra'+'rer'='RARER'

(Other definitions for rarer that I've seen before include "less easy to find" , "(Of meat) less cooked" , "steak may be wanted thus?" , "Less often seen" , "More scarce or uncommon" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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