Poor gecko is starting scratching; reports unfit for duty (4,4)
I believe the answer is:
goes sick
'reports unfit for duty' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't judge whether this works.
'poor gecko is starting scratching' is the wordplay.
'poor' indicates anagramming the letters.
'starting' suggests taking the first letters.
The initial letter of 'scratching' is 's'.
'gecko'+'is'+'s'='geckoiss'
'geckoiss' with letters rearranged gives 'GOES SICK'.
Can you help me to learn more?
I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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