Crossword Genius

Drains in Sweden well up (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

saps

'drains' is the definition.
(sapping is a kind of draining)

'sweden well up' is the wordplay.
'sweden' becomes 's'.
'well' becomes 'spa' (I've seen this before).
'up' says the letters should be written in reverse (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'spa' reversed gives 'aps'.
's'+'aps'='SAPS'

'in' is the link.

(Other definitions for saps that I've seen before include "Drains energy from" , "Pass around foolish people" , "Coshes" , "More than one fool" , "mugs" .)

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.