Crossword Genius

Cold fish served up before hot sponge (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

leech

'sponge' is the definition.
('leech' can be a synonym of 'sponge')

'cold fish served up before hot' is the wordplay.
'cold' becomes 'c' (eg on taps).
'fish' becomes 'eel' (eel is a kind of fish**).
'served up' is a reversal indicator.
'before' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'hot' becomes 'h'.
'c'+'eel'='ceel'
'ceel' backwards is 'leec'.
'leec'+'h'='LEECH'

(Other definitions for leech that I've seen before include "scrounger" , "Old medicinal sucker" , "Medicinal bloodsucker" , "Bloodsucker; early doctor" , "Bloodsucking annelid" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.