Crossword Genius

Company with little work is to shut up (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

coop

'is to shut up' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'company with little work' is the wordplay.
'company' becomes 'co' (abbreviation).
'with' says to put letters next to each other.
'little work' becomes 'op'.
'co'+'op'='COOP'

(Other definitions for coop that I've seen before include "Pen" , "pound" , "Birdcage" , "Cage for poultry" , "Hens in this" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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.