Crossword Genius

Van part? (7,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

leading role

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

'van part?' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I cannot judge whether it can be defined by this definition.

'van part?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'van' could be 'lead' (van can mean the front of something) and 'lead' is present in the answer.
'part?' could be 'in' (synonyms) and 'in' is found within the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app