Crossword Genius

Primarily cloudy, when in past tense? (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

overcast

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

'primarily cloudy when in past tense?' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Maybe there's a link between them I don't understand?

'primarily cloudy when in past tense?' is the wordplay.
'primarily' suggests taking the first letters.
'when' becomes 'as'.
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'past' becomes 'over' (I've seen this before).
'tense?' becomes 't' (abbreviation used in many dictionaries).
The initial letter of 'cloudy' is 'c'.
'c'+'as'='cas'
'over'+'t'='overt'
'cas' going within 'overt' is 'OVERCAST'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for overcast that I've seen before include "Gloomy like cloudy sky" , "State of the sky when it is covered by clouds" , "Cloud-covered" , "less than fine" , "not entirely fair" .)

I've seen this clue in the Independent.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app