Crossword Genius

Covered small hardened cases (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

insured

'covered' is the definition.
('insure' can be a synonym of 'cover')

'small hardened cases' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'hardened' becomes 'inured' ('inure' can be a synonym of 'harden').
'cases' indicates putting letters inside.
's' placed into 'inured' is 'INSURED'.

(Other definitions for insured that I've seen before include "Covered against mishaps" , "Protected against loss" , "Covered for burglary?" , "Covered against accident" , "Covered, maybe against damage to 23 ..." .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent and The Sun.
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