Crossword Genius

Clothes appear dishevelled by the end of school (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

apparel

'clothes' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'appear dishevelled by the end of school' is the wordplay.
'dishevelled' indicates an anagram.
'by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'the end of' suggests the final letters.
The final letter of 'school' is 'l'.
'appear' anagrammed gives 'appare'.
'appare'+'l'='APPAREL'

(Other definitions for apparel that I've seen before include "kit" , "Clothing, things to wear" , "what's in the press?" , "Real pap (anag) - clothing" , "Raiment" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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.