Crossword Genius

Sailor picked up in ship not half dull (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tarnish

'dull' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'sailor picked up in ship not half' is the wordplay.
'sailor' becomes 'tar' (term for a sailor).
'picked up' is a reversal indicator.
'not half' suggests halving the letters.
'in' written backwards gives 'ni'.
'ship' with half the letters taken is 'sh'.
'tar'+'ni'+'sh'='TARNISH'

(Other definitions for tarnish that I've seen before include "Cause to lose lustre, silver or reputation" , "Cause to lose lustre, say silver" , "Film" , "Taint" , "Mountain lake" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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