Crossword Genius

Broke surface on top of tapioca (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

skint

'broke' is the definition.
(both can mean struggling financially)

'surface on top of tapioca' is the wordplay.
'surface' becomes 'skin' (skin is a kind of surface).
'on top of' suggests taking the first letters (I've seen 'on top' mean this).
The first letter of 'tapioca' is 't'.
'skin'+'t'='SKINT'

(Other definitions for skint that I've seen before include "Broke (sl.)" , "Having little money" , "Impoverished" , "Hard up (sl.)" , "Impecunious" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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