Stone in stream inspires English author (9)
I believe the answer is:
steinbeck
'author' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are singular nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'stone in stream inspires english' is the wordplay.
'stone' becomes 'st' (abbreviation).
'stream' becomes 'beck' (northern English dialect term for 'stream').
'inspires' means one lot of letters goes inside another (inspire means to breathe in).
'english' becomes 'E' (abbreviation as in OED).
'st'+'in'+'beck'='stinbeck'
'stinbeck' enclosing 'e' is 'STEINBECK'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for steinbeck that I've seen before include "Of Mice and Men author" , "See 17" , "US writer" , "John ......, author of 'The Grapes of Wrath'" , "Novelist" .)