Really not far from home on island (2,7)
I believe the answer is:
in earnest
'really' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adverbs. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'not far from home on island' is the wordplay.
'not far from' becomes 'near' (I've seen this in another clue).
'home' becomes 'nest' (a bird's home).
'on' says to put letters next to each other.
'island' becomes 'i' (geographical abbreviation).
'near'+'nest'='nearnest'
'nearnest' put after 'i' is 'IN EARNEST'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for in earnest that I've seen before include "Not joking" , "with sincere intentions" , "With serious intentions" , "With serious intention, not fooling about (2.7)" , "Sincere in intention" .)