Crossword Genius

Small vehicle by Autobahn, a Beetle (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

scarab

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

'a beetle' is the definition.
(scarab is a kind of beetle)

'small vehicle by autobahn' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'vehicle' becomes 'car' (car is a kind of vehicle).
'by autobahn' becomes 'ab' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
's'+'car'+'ab'='SCARAB'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for scarab that I've seen before include "crawler" , "Sacred beetle of ancient Egypt" , "Old abuse" , "Holy beetle" , "Beetle regarded as divine by ancient Egyptians" .)

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