Crossword Genius

Rambling solemn tone almost would put you to sleep (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

somnolent

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

'would put you to sleep' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'rambling solemn tone almost' is the wordplay.
'rambling' indicates an anagram.
'almost' means to remove the last letter (most of the word but not all of it).
'solemn'+'tone'='solemntone'
'solemntone' with its final letter taken off is 'solemnton'.
'solemnton' is an anagram of 'SOMNOLENT'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for somnolent that I've seen before include "falling asleep" , "drifting off" , "Drowsy - lost on men (anag)" , "Sleepy, drowsy" , "Comatose" .)

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