Crossword Genius

Ward off fighter, an undersized one (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dwarf

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'an undersized one' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Perhaps there's an association between them I don't understand?

'ward off fighter' is the wordplay.
'off' is an anagram indicator.
'fighter' becomes 'F' (abbreviation in war plane e.g. F-16 etc.).
'ward' is an anagram of 'dwar'.
'dwar'+'f'='DWARF'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dwarf that I've seen before include "Friend of Snow White?" , "Tower over" , "Small person or star" , "Little red sky feature" , "Metal-worker of legendary tales" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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