Crossword Genius

Communication in a muddle a long time (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

message

'communication' is the definition.
(message is a kind of communication)

'a muddle a long time' is the wordplay.
'a muddle' becomes 'mess' (synonyms).
'a long time' becomes 'age' ('age' can be a synonym of 'long time').
'mess'+'age'='MESSAGE'

'in' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for message that I've seen before include "Brief communication" , "meaning" , "Missive" , "Errand" , "Spoken or written communication" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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