Realistic photo frames with a dull finish on paper (9)
I believe the answer is:
pragmatic
'realistic' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'photo frames with a dull finish on paper' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'a' is present in the answer.
'dull' could be 'mat' (mat as opposed to glossy) and 'mat' is found within the answer.
'paper' could be 'i' (UK newspaper) and 'i' is found within the answer.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for pragmatic that I've seen before include "Practical" , "Dealing with things practically rather than theoretically" , "Down-to-earth" , "Realistic" , "for best results?" .)