Crossword Genius

Poorly, eyelid on the blink after end of operation (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

needily

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

'poorly' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adverbs.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'eyelid on the blink after end of operation' is the wordplay.
'on the blink' is an anagram indicator (informal phrase meaning 'not working properly').
'after' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'end of' suggests the final letters.
The final letter of 'operation' is 'n'.
'eyelid' with letters rearranged gives 'eedily'.
'eedily' put after 'n' is 'NEEDILY'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for needily that I've seen before include "Very insecurely" , "As if craving attention" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.