Crossword Genius

Finished without a sign of victory! (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

oer

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

'finished without a sign of victory' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'finished without a sign' is the wordplay.
'finished' becomes 'over' (over can mean finished or ended).
'without' is a deletion indicator.
'a sign' becomes 'v' (a V-sign a gesture made with two fingers).
'over' with 'v' taken out is 'OER'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for oer that I've seen is " Above (poetic)".)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app