Crossword Genius

Extremely depressed and confused about partners holding hands (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lowest

'extremely depressed' is the definition.

'confused about partners holding hands' is the wordplay.
'confused' becomes 'lost' ('lost' can be a synonym of 'confused').
'about' is an insertion indicator.
'partners holding hands' becomes 'we' (east and west are teammates in bridge).
'lost' enclosing 'we' is 'LOWEST'.

'and' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for lowest that I've seen before include "Towels for the most humble" , "very close to the ground" , "Nearest the ground" , "Minimum" , "Owlets at the bottom level" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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