Crossword Genius

Depressed by an empty form in advance (4,7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

down payment

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'advance' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both related to property as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'depressed by an empty form' is the wordplay.
'depressed' becomes 'down' (synonyms).
'by' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'form' is an anagram indicator (a different form of the same letters).
'an'+'empty'='anempty'
'anempty' with letters rearranged gives 'payment'.
'down'+'payment'='DOWN PAYMENT'

'in' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for down payment that I've seen before include "first instalment" , "Deposit towards a purchase" , "Start of settlement" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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.