Crossword Genius

Hero tries to break ideas man (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

theoriser

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

'ideas man' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'hero tries to break' is the wordplay.
'to break' indicates an anagram.
'hero'+'tries'='herotries'
'herotries' is an anagram of 'THEORISER'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for theoriser that I've seen before include "speculator" , "he thinks" , "One who reasons" , "One who has convictions" , "one who speculates" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app