What does the cryptic crossword clue "Hard to swallow, 's dubious as a homophone? (6)" mean?

The wordplay uses a homophone (sounds like). A perhaps rather controversial homophone of “’s dodgy” The answer is STODGY.

Hard to swallow, 's dubious as a homophone? (6)

Guardian Cryptic #29269 | 28 Across | 2024-01-03 flower