Comic role in Shakespeare: slip up dropping one pole (8)
I believe the answer is:
falstaff
'comic' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both people as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'role in shakespeare slip up dropping one pole' is the wordplay.
'role in shakespeare' becomes 'lf' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'slip up' says the letters should be written in reverse (I've seen 'slipping up' mean this (in a down clue, letters go up)).
'dropping' indicates putting letters inside.
'one' becomes 'a' (a thing is one thing).
'pole' becomes 'staff'.
'lf' in reverse letter order is 'fl'.
'fl' placed around 'a' is 'fal'.
'fal'+'staff'='FALSTAFF'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for falstaff that I've seen before include "Rogue knight" , "stout fellow" , "Shakespeare's Sir John" , "big role at Stratford" , "Dissolute Shakespearean - Verdi opera" .)