Crossword Genius

Subdued apartment indeed (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

deflated

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

'subdued' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Perhaps you can see an association between them that I can't see?

'apartment indeed' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'apartment' could be 'flat' (synonyms) and 'flat' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'deed' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for deflated that I've seen before include "Let out air or gas from" , "Put down" , "Depressed like punctured balloon" , "Collapsed due to release of gas" , "Lost self-esteem - or gas?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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