Crossword Genius

Make a mess of date coated in soya bean paste (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

misdo

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

'make a mess of' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are verbs in their base form, I cannot understand how they can define each other.

'date coated in soya bean paste' is the wordplay.
'date' becomes 'd' (common abbreviation eg in DOB, date of birth).
'coated in' indicates putting letters inside.
'soya bean paste' becomes 'miso' (I've seen this before).
'd' put into 'miso' is 'MISDO'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for misdo that I've seen before include "Perform improperly" , "Perform wrongly" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.