Crossword Genius

Lamb split, with lion tearing off quarter of the sheep's fat (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lanolin

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

'fat' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'lamb split with lion tearing off quarter of the sheep's' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
an anagram of 'lion' is 'noli' which is within the answer.
'quarter' could be 'n' and 'n' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'la' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lanolin that I've seen before include "Fatty coating on wool" , "Substance found on sheep's wool" , "Wool-fat" , "Oily substance on wool" , "Oil on sheep's wool" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.