Crossword Genius

Toddler's first language is brief (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

terse

'brief' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'toddler's first language' is the wordplay.
'toddler's first' becomes 't' (1st letter of 'toddler').
'language' becomes 'erse' (historical term for Scottish Gaelic).
't'+'erse'='TERSE'

'is' is the link.

(Other definitions for terse that I've seen before include "Sententious" , "Reset to be pithy" , "Short and to the point" , "Briefly expressed" , "Compact" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.