Crossword Genius

Exhaust school writer on the day (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

spend

'exhaust' is the definition.
(I know that exhaust is a kind of spend)

'school writer on the day' is the wordplay.
'school' becomes 'S'.
'writer' becomes 'pen' (something which writes).
'on' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'the day' becomes 'd' (abbreviation for day).
's'+'pen'+'d'='SPEND'

(Other definitions for spend that I've seen before include "amount" , "Run through" , "Pay out or use up" , "Lay out money" , "Outlay" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
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