Crossword Genius

Quiet worker to sound excited (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

pant

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

'to sound excited' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'quiet worker' is the wordplay.
'quiet' becomes 'p' (music symbol for 'piano', ie soft or quiet).
'worker' becomes 'ant' (worker is a type of ant).
'p'+'ant'='PANT'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for pant that I've seen before include "Breathe noisily after running" , "Gasp for breath (like a hot dog?)" , "Breath noisily from exertion" , "Sound out of breath" , "Long" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
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