Crossword Genius

Star lives up tiny narrow passage (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sinus

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

'tiny narrow passage' is the definition.
'sinus' can be an answer for 'passage' (sinus is a kind of passage). I'm not certain of the 'tiny narrow' bit.

'star lives up' is the wordplay.
'star' becomes 'sun' (the Sun is a star).
'lives' becomes 'is' ('be' can be a synonym of 'live').
'up' says the letters should be written backwards (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'sun'+'is'='sunis'
'sunis' backwards is 'SINUS'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sinus that I've seen before include "Channel between brain and skull" , "Air cavity in the cranial bones" , "Cavity within a bone" , "Cavity in the facial bones" , "Space in temple" .)

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.