Crossword Genius

Dolls are scattered round outhouse: one should be in cabinet (4,5,4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lord privy seal

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

'one should be in cabinet' is the definition.
(the Lord Privy Seal is a member of the UK Cabinet)

'dolls are scattered round outhouse' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'are' could be 'a' (short for 'are', historical unit of measurement) and 'a' is present in the answer.
'round' could be 'o' (round can mean a round object) and 'o' is present in the answer.
'outhouse' could be 'privy' (synonyms) and 'privy' is found within the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lord privy seal that I've seen before include "Senior minister without portfolio, usually Leader of the House of Commons or Lords" , "Senior cabinet minister" , "high official" , "Top cabinet minister" , "government office" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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