Crossword Genius

A sports official wearing appropriate item - not this (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

barefoot

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

'not this' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun but the answer is not.

'a sports official wearing appropriate item' is the wordplay.
'sports official' becomes 'ref'.
'wearing' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'appropriate item' becomes 'boot' (I have seen 'Item of footwear ' mean 'boot' so perhaps 'item' could also mean 'boot'. I am not sure about the 'appropriate' bit.**).
'a'+'ref'='aref'
'aref' going within 'boot' is 'BAREFOOT'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for barefoot that I've seen before include "Shoeless" , "Without shoes and socks" , "without protection for lowest members" , "'-------- in the Park', Neil Simon play filmed in 1967 with Jane Fonda and Robert Redford" , "Unshod" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.