A cable net destroyed by acid (10)

I believe the answer is:

astringent

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

'acid' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'a cable net destroyed' is the wordplay.
'cable' becomes 'string' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'destroyed' indicates an anagram.
'net' anagrammed gives 'ent'.
'a'+'string'+'ent'='ASTRINGENT'

'by' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for astringent that I've seen before include "Caustic" , "Scathing" , "Sharp or severe in manner" , "for checking bleeding" , "piercing" .)

I've seen this clue in The Hindu.

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.