Crossword Genius

Duke in a hole before Xmas (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

advent

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

'xmas' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both related to time as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps you can see an association between them that I don't see?

'duke in a hole before' is the wordplay.
'duke' becomes 'd' (abbreviation).
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'hole before' becomes 'vent' (vent is a kind of hole. I am not sure about the 'before' bit.).
'a'+'vent'='avent'
'd' placed into 'avent' is 'ADVENT'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for advent that I've seen before include "Time approaching Christmas" , "approach" , "Christmas shopping time in" , "Season preceding Christmas" , "The coming of a religous period?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sun.
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.