Crossword Genius

Yours truly competed to be creepered (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ivied

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

'creepered' is the definition.
The answer and definition are not the same part of speech. However, adjectives and past participle verbs occasionally define each other.

'yours truly competed' is the wordplay.
'yours truly' becomes 'I' (the person that set this crossword).
'competed' becomes 'vied' ('vie' can be a synonym of 'compete').
'i'+'vied'='IVIED'

'to be' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ivied that I've seen before include "with covering of creeper" , "covered with 8 [EVERGREEN]" , "Overgrown with creeper" , "Decked with evergreen" , "Covered with climbing plant" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.