Splash a small dish (8)

I believe the answer is:

splatter

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'splash a small dish' is the definition.
'splatter' can be an answer for 'splash' (synonyms). I am unsure of the 'a small dish' bit.

'splash a small dish' is the wordplay.
'splash a small' becomes 's' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'dish' becomes 'platter' (platter is a kind of dish).
's'+'platter'='SPLATTER'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for splatter that I've seen before include "Splash, splutter" , "Small amount of something liquid" , "Splash (across)" , "Gruesome sort of film" , "Spatter, splash" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.

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