Crossword Genius

Male cat catches cold, in a wind (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

helicon

'wind' is the definition.
(helicon is a kind of wind)

'male cat catches cold' is the wordplay.
'male' becomes 'he' (he refers to a man).
'cat' becomes 'lion' (lion is a kind of cat).
'catches' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'cold' becomes 'C' (abbreviation, eg on taps).
'lion' enclosing 'c' is 'licon'.
'he'+'licon'='HELICON'

'in a' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for helicon that I've seen before include "Home of the Greek Muses" , "Brass tuba" , "mountain in Greece" , "peak of inspiration" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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