Crossword Genius

Refused, last month, to have inner layer added (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

declined

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

'refused' is the definition.
('decline' can be a synonym of 'refuse')

'last month to have inner layer added' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'month' could be 'dec' (abbreviation for December) and 'dec' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'lined' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for declined that I've seen before include "Turned down < , fell off" , "Went through cases" , "Refused; waned" , "Refused or weakened" , "Said no, refused" .)

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