Crossword Genius

Home builder: reliable chap joining broody female?

Ross

I believe the answer is:

bricklayer

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

'home builder' is the definition.
'bricklayer' can be an answer for 'builder' (thesaurus). I'm not sure about the 'home' bit.

'reliable chap joining broody female?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'chap' could be 'rick' and 'rick' is found within the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for bricklayer that I've seen before include "Builder of 36 ac" , "Construction worker" , "Wall builder" , "worker in bonds" , "Labourer" .)

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