Crossword Genius

Smell almost not as much - effect of runny nose? (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sniffles

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

'much effect of runny nose?' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'smell almost not' is the wordplay.
'smell' becomes 'sniff' (sniff is a kind of smell**).
'almost' means to remove the last letter (most of the word but not all of it).
'not' becomes 'less' (I've seen this in other clues).
'less' with its last letter taken off is 'les'.
'sniff'+'les'='SNIFFLES'

'as' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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