Crossword Genius

Scared of a nice little chap? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

chicken

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'scared' is the definition.

'a nice little chap?' is the wordplay.
'a nice little' becomes 'chic' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'chap?' becomes 'ken'.
'chic'+'ken'='CHICKEN'

'of' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for chicken that I've seen before include "easily scared" , "Keep the creature in check" , "Pigeon-hearted" , "daring game" , "Reckless game" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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