Possible Clues:

• First of your good points recalled, but not easily assimilated
• Boringly conventional way to replace unreliable leader
• Dull - heavy
• Hardly hip
• Hard to swallow, 's dubious as a homophone?
• Frumpish
• (Of food) solid and heavy
• Boring
• Filling canine with hole at the front, cutting into infected area
• Extremely sweet, old, grey and boring