Crossword Genius

Being germ-free, is almost passed for work (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

asepsis

'being germ-free' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'is almost passed for work' is the wordplay.
'almost' means to remove the last letter (most of the word but not all of it).
'for work' is an anagram indicator (I've seen 'for working' mean this).
'passed' with its final letter taken off is 'passe'.
'is'+'passe'='ispasse'
'ispasse' with letters rearranged gives 'ASEPSIS'.

(Other definitions for asepsis that I've seen before include "germ-free state" , "exclusion of micro-organisms" , "freedom from germs" , "Given freedom from infection" , "Absence of viruses and other microorganisms" .)

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.