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Surfacing with the writer, a nut! (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

macadamia

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'nut' is the definition.
(type of nut)

'surfacing with the writer a' is the wordplay.
'surfacing with' becomes 'macadam' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'the writer' becomes 'I' (the person who is writing these clues).
'macadam'+'i'+'a'='MACADAMIA'

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(Other definitions for macadamia that I've seen before include "Australian tree with edible nuts - a CIA madam (anag)" , "Am I a cad, ma? (anag) - Australian nut tree" , "Edible nut" , "(Of drug) causing dependency" , "Nut-bearing tree" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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