Crossword Genius

For the climax, a hot number (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

height

'for the climax' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'a hot number' is the wordplay.
'a hot' becomes 'h' (abbreviation eg on taps).
'number' becomes 'eight' (eight is a kind of whole number).
'h'+'eight'='HEIGHT'

(Other definitions for height that I've seen before include "Rising ground; extreme example" , "Crowning moment" , "size up?" , "Vertical extent" , "part of a patient's statistics?" .)

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