Crossword Genius

The little ring inside elicits a cry of joy (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

whoopee

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

'cry of joy' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't understand how one could define the other.

'the little ring inside elicits a' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'ring' could be 'hoop' (synonyms) and 'hoop' is found in the answer.
'little' could be 'wee' (similar in meaning) and 'wee' is found in the remaining letters.
No letters remain.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for whoopee that I've seen before include "I'm so happy!" , "that delights me" , "Joyful shout" , "Expression of delight" , "Shout of delight" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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