Crossword Genius

Put my new food in buckets? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

popcorn

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

'food in buckets?' is the definition.
'popcorn' can be an answer for 'food' (popcorn is a kind of food). I'm not certain of the 'in buckets?' bit.

'put my new' is the wordplay.
'put' becomes 'pop' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'my' becomes 'cor' (both are expressions of surprise).
'new' becomes 'n' (common abbreviation eg NT for New Testament).
'pop'+'cor'+'n'='POPCORN'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for popcorn that I've seen before include "making a meal of it?" , "Kernels that swell and burst with heat" , "Filmgoers' diet" , "Feature accompaniment" , "Exploded maize" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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