Crossword Genius

Drain part of eye, admitting problem (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

consume

'drain' is the definition.
(I know that drain is a more specific form of consume)

'part of eye admitting problem' is the wordplay.
'part of eye' becomes 'cone' ('cone' is part of 'eye').
'admitting' indicates putting letters inside (admit can mean to welcome in or accept).
'problem' becomes 'sum' (as in a mathematical problem).
'cone' enclosing 'sum' is 'CONSUME'.

(Other definitions for consume that I've seen before include "Use up" , "Eat, drink" , "Exhaust" , "Devour" .)

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.