Crossword Genius

A guard holding case of ammunition up (2,2,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

at an end

'up' is the definition.
(both can mean finished)

'a guard holding case of ammunition' is the wordplay.
'guard' becomes 'tend' (**).
'holding' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'case of' means to remove the middle letters (outsides of).
'ammunition' with its middle taken out is 'an'.
'tend' enclosing 'an' is 'tanend'.
'a'+'tanend'='AT AN END'

(Another definition for at an end that I've seen is " Finished".)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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