Crossword Genius

First class youngster has nothing but a martial art (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

aikido

'a martial art' is the definition.
(aikido is a kind of martial art)

'first class youngster has nothing' is the wordplay.
'first class' becomes 'ai' (Ak - top quality).
'youngster' becomes 'kid' (synonyms).
'has' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'nothing' becomes 'O' (looks like zero - 0).
'ai'+'kid'+'o'='AIKIDO'

'but' is the link.

(Other definitions for aikido that I've seen before include "one of the martial arts" , "a particular form of art" , "Martial art, akin to judo" , "Japanese form of self-defence" , "Defensive moves" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish 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.