Crossword Genius

Penetrating small mammal with end of wand (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

shrewd

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

'penetrating small' is the definition.
'shrewd' can be an answer for 'penetrating' (I've seen this before). I'm unsure of the 'small' bit.

'mammal with end of wand' is the wordplay.
'mammal' becomes 'shrew' (shrew is a kind of mammal).
'with end of wand' becomes 'd' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'shrew'+'d'='SHREWD'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for shrewd that I've seen before include "Craftily astute" , "Penetrating" , "Clever and calculating" , "Perspicacious" , "Astute, clever" .)

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