Crossword Genius

Take home after raising love bird (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

linnet

'bird' is the definition.
(linnet is a kind of bird)

'take home after raising love' is the wordplay.
'take home' becomes 'net' (I've seen this in another clue).
'after' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'raising' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'love' becomes 'nil' (love and nil mean zero in cricket and football).
'nil' reversed gives 'lin'.
'net' after 'lin' is 'LINNET'.

(Other definitions for linnet that I've seen before include "Singer" , "Brown-grey kind of finch" , "Common finch" , "A little bird" , "Finch so named because it feeds on flax" .)

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