Crossword Genius

Direction needed to hold ceremony all together (2,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

en masse

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

'direction needed to hold ceremony' is the wordplay.
'direction' becomes 'ene' (ENE is an example).
'needed to hold' indicates putting letters inside (to hold can mean to receive or contain).
'ceremony' becomes 'mass' (Mass is an example).
'ene' enclosing 'mass' is 'EN MASSE'.

(Other definitions for en masse that I've seen before include "As a body (Fr.)" , "In force" , "Sees man (anag.)" , "in concert" , "All together (Fr.)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app