Crossword Genius

Abandon at the roadside (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ditch

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

'abandon' is the definition.
(I know that ditch has the is a more specific form of the action abandon)

'the roadside' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'dich' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'at' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ditch that I've seen before include "Dump; channel" , "Gully or furrow" , "side of field?" , "Trench, dike" , "Furrow, trench" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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