Crossword Genius

A face covering said to be of use (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

avail

'be of use' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'a face covering said' is the wordplay.
'face covering' becomes 'veil' (I've seen this before).
'said' shows a homophone (sound like).
'veil' is a homophone of 'vail'.
'a'+'vail'='AVAIL'

'to' is the link.

(Other definitions for avail that I've seen before include "Use to one's advantage" , "Be useful" , "Be of service to" , "Provide help; profit" , "See 3" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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