Crossword Genius

Watery spot surrounding dock (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sloppy

'watery' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'spot surrounding dock' is the wordplay.
'spot' becomes 'spy' (synonyms).
'surrounding' is an insertion indicator.
'dock' becomes 'lop' (both can mean to cut).
'spy' placed around 'lop' is 'SLOPPY'.

(Other definitions for sloppy that I've seen before include "Lacking neatness and order" , "'Careless, shoddy (6)'" , "Mawkish" , "Slipshod" , "maudlin" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sunday Times and The Times.
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