Crossword Genius

General has chain for hanger-on (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

leech

'hanger-on' is the definition.
(leech can mean a hanger-on or parasite)

'general has chain' is the wordplay.
'general' becomes 'lee' (Robert E. Lee - US revolutionary commander).
'has' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'chain' becomes 'ch' (abbreviation for the unit of length).
'lee'+'ch'='LEECH'

'for' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for leech that I've seen before include "Proverbial bloodsucker" , "Old doctor" , "scrounger" , "Blood-sucking worm or parasitical person" , "Clinging type" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.