Crossword Genius

Very common smell associated with fish (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

humdrum

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

'very common' is the definition.
'humdrum' can be an answer for 'common' (thesaurus). I am not certain of the 'very' bit.

'smell associated with fish' is the wordplay.
'smell' becomes 'hum' (something with a bad smell is 'humming').
'associated with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'fish' becomes 'drum' (drum is a kind of fish).
'hum'+'drum'='HUMDRUM'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for humdrum that I've seen before include "Tediously repetitous or lacking in variety" , "Run-of-the-mill" , "Boringly monotonous" , "without incident" , "Workaday" .)

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