Crossword Genius

Beat up in barbershop, metaphorically (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tempo

'beat' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'up in barbershop metaphorically' is the wordplay.
'up' says the letters should be written in reverse (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'in' indicates a hidden word.
'opmet' is hidden in the letters of 'barbershop metaphorically'.
'opmet' backwards is 'TEMPO'.

(Other definitions for tempo that I've seen before include "Musical beat or rhythm" , "Muscial time" , "Rhythm of piece of music" , "Time (music)" , "Cadence" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.