He's shallow but not slow (3)

I believe the answer is:

hal

'he's' is the definition.

'shallow but not slow' is the wordplay.
'but not' suggests deleting specific letters.
'shallow' with 'slow' removed is 'HAL'.

(Other definitions for hal that I've seen before include "Henry (diminutive)" , "future Henry V" , "royal prince" , "Falstaff's prince (H.IV)" , "Prince -, Falstaff's companion (Henry IV, Pt I)" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app