Crossword Genius

Figure a man is many-sided (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hexagonal

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

'many-sided' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are adjectives, I can't see how they can define each other.

'figure a man' is the wordplay.
'figure' becomes 'hexagon' (hexagon is a kind of figure).
'a man' becomes 'Al' (man's name).
'hexagon'+'al'='HEXAGONAL'

'is' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for hexagonal that I've seen before include "with several sides" , "Shaped like the cells in a honeycomb" , "Six-sided like geometric figure" .)

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