Crossword Genius

Beaten hollow by two little boys! (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dented

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

'beaten hollow by two little boys' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both to do with contact as well as being past participle verbs.
Perhaps there's an association between them I don't understand?

'beaten hollow by' is the wordplay.
'beaten' becomes 'ed' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'hollow' becomes 'dent' (both can mean an impression or indentation).
'by' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'ed' put after 'dent' is 'DENTED'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for dented that I've seen before include "Bashed in" , "Dinged" , "Tended to be depresed" , "Made small depression in metal surface" , "Made depression in through pressure or impact" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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.