Crossword Genius

Began task of getting doctor's old boat in river back working (8,2)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

embarked on

'began task of' is the definition.

'doctor's old boat in river back working' is the wordplay.
'doctor' becomes 'mb' (Bachelor of Medicine, Medicinae Baccalaureus).
'old boat' becomes 'ark'.
'in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'river back' becomes 'eed' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'working' becomes 'on'.
'mb'+'ark'='mbark'
'mbark' inserted within 'eed' is 'embarked'.
'embarked'+'on'='EMBARKED ON'

'getting' is the link.

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.