Crossword Genius

Tasteless cake rejected by papers (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

vapid

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

'tasteless' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

'cake rejected by papers' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'papers' could be 'id' (identification papers) and 'id' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for vapid that I've seen before include "Offering no stimulation" , "Dull, insipid, flat" , "Wishy-washy" , "Lacking flavour" , "Insipid - lacking significance" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app