Was a flipping orifice in a body! (2,1,5)

I believe the answer is:

as a whole

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

'in a body' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'was a flipping orifice' is the wordplay.
'flipping' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'orifice' becomes 'hole' (I've seen this in another clue).
'was'+'a'='wasa'
'wasa' back-to-front is 'asaw'.
'asaw'+'hole'='AS A WHOLE'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for as a whole that I've seen before include "completely" , "In general" .)

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

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