Nearly tan … half browny? (5)
I believe the answer is:
tawny
'nearly tan half browny?' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'nearly tan half browny?' is the wordplay.
'nearly' means to remove the last letter.
'half' suggests halving the letters.
'tan' with its final letter taken away is 'ta'.
'browny' with half the letters taken is 'wny'.
'ta'+'wny'='TAWNY'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tawny that I've seen before include "port" , "Golden brown" , "Brownish-yellow" , "Yellowish-brown - kind of owl" , "Orange-brown in colour" .)