Crossword Genius

Returning to the States, maybe, Eleanor's obviously unhappy (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sullen

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'eleanor's obviously unhappy' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'returning to the states' is the wordplay.
'returning' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'to the' becomes 'nell' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'states' becomes 'US' (abbreviation for the United States).
'nell'+'us'='nellus'
'nellus' written backwards gives 'SULLEN'.

'maybe' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sullen that I've seen before include "Sulkily bad-tempered" , "Baleful" , "Morose, sulky" , "Bad-tempered and sulky" , "Angrily silent" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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