Was head of detectives on the nose? (6)
I believe the answer is:
rancid
'on the nose?' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are adjectives. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'was head of detectives' is the wordplay.
'was head of' becomes 'ran' (I've seen this in another clue).
'detectives' becomes 'CID' (abbreviation for Criminal Investigation Department).
'ran'+'cid'='RANCID'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for rancid that I've seen before include "Smelly and going bad" , "Sour like stale grease 96)" , "Sour like stale fat" , "Like fat that's gone off" , "Like stale fat or oil" .)