Crossword Genius

Patchy bit of dinner, say (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

piecemeal

'patchy' is the definition.

'bit of dinner say' is the wordplay.
'bit of' becomes 'piece' (I've seen this before).
'dinner say' becomes 'meal' (dinner is a kind of meal).
'piece'+'meal'='PIECEMEAL'

(Other definitions for piecemeal that I've seen before include "a little at a time" , "Unsystematically" , "A bit at a time" , "by degrees" , "step by step" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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