Crossword Genius

Railway supporter is a secret agent (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sleeper

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

'secret agent' is the definition.
(I know that sleeper is a type of spy)

'railway supporter is a' is the wordplay.
'railway supporter' becomes 'slee' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'is a' becomes 'per' (eg 'one a day' means 'one per day').
'slee'+'per'='SLEEPER'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sleeper that I've seen before include "Long-inactive secret agent" , "Form of transport" , "Supportive log on railway track" , "Support for railway lines" , "Railway track support" .)

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