Santa, essentially, seems quite industrious (3)

I believe the answer is:

ant

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'quite industrious' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'santa essentially' is the wordplay.
'essentially' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue (essence can mean the inside of something).
'ANT' is hidden within 'santa'.

'seems' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ant that I've seen before include "that may be a soldier" , "Hill-dweller" , "Emmet or pismire" , "Member of colony" , "Small busy insect" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.

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