Crossword Genius

Weak play on words, ultimately ropy (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

puny

'weak' is the definition.
('puny' can be similar in meaning to 'weak')

'play on words ultimately ropy' is the wordplay.
'play on words' becomes 'pun' ('pun' can be a synonym of 'play on words').
'ultimately' says to take the final letters.
The final letter of 'ropy' is 'y'.
'pun'+'y'='PUNY'

(Other definitions for puny that I've seen before include "Slight" , "Frail and weedy" , "Insignificant" , "Feeble, under-sized" , "Weak - unimportant" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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