Crossword Genius

Crush nut noisily (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

conquer

'crush' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'nut noisily' is the wordplay.
'nut' becomes 'conker' (the nut of a horse chestnut tree).
'noisily' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'conker' sounds like 'CONQUER'.

(Other definitions for conquer that I've seen before include "to follow William's example" , "Capture by force" , "Put down by force" , "Overcome militarily" , "Gain possession by force" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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.