Crossword Genius

Times analogy failing to comprehend point, to say the least (2,1,4,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

by a long way

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

'to say the least' is the definition.
(both can be used to emphasise a previous statement)

'times analogy failing to comprehend point' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'times' could be 'by' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'by' is found in the answer.
'point' could be 'w' (W is an example) and 'w' is located in the answer.
an anagram of 'analogy' is 'alongay' which is located in the left over letters.
No letters remain.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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