Crossword Genius

Agitated Britten finally added a solo aria with no life at all (4,2,1,8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dead as a doornail

'with no life at all' is the definition.

'agitated britten finally added a solo aria' is the wordplay.
'agitated' indicates anagramming the letters.
'finally' says to take the final letters.
The final letter of 'britten' is 'n'.
'n'+'added'+'a'+'solo'+'aria'='naddedasoloaria'
'naddedasoloaria' with letters rearranged gives 'DEAD AS A DOORNAIL'.

(Other definitions for dead as a doornail that I've seen before include "Like one driven through entrance" , "just like a dodo!" , "far from quick!" .)

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