Crossword Genius

A column I will condense into a short paragraph (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

pillar

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

'a column' is the definition.
(both can mean an upright structure)

'i will condense into a short paragraph' is the wordplay.
'will' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other) (I've seen this in other clues).
'condense' becomes 'll' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'into' is an insertion indicator.
'a short' means to remove the last letter.
'paragraph' becomes 'para' (short for paragraph).
'i'+'ll'='ill'
'para' with its final letter taken off is 'par'.
'ill' going into 'par' is 'PILLAR'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for pillar that I've seen before include "Supporting column" , "Upright post" , "Tall vertical structure, of stone say" , "Supporter" , "Tall support" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail, The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Irish Independent.
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.