Parrot not quite as dead as a dodo? (7)
I believe the answer is:
emulate
'parrot' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are verbs in their base form, I can't see how one could define the other.
'not quite as dead as a dodo?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'dead' could be 'late' (similar in meaning) and 'late' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'emu' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for emulate that I've seen before include "Try to equal (object of admiration)" , "Try to be equal or better than" , "Strive to equal or surpass" , "Copy - rival" , "Attempt to match" .)