Crossword Genius

Grab and beat up in school (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

snatch

'grab' is the definition.
('snatch' can be a synonym of 'grab')

'beat up in school' is the wordplay.
'beat' becomes 'tan' (I've seen this before**).
'up' is a reversal indicator (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'school' becomes 'sch'.
'tan' reversed gives 'nat'.
'nat' inserted inside 'sch' is 'SNATCH'.

'and' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for snatch that I've seen before include "Bit of a song" , "Sieze or grab" , "Dense clump of grass" , "Seize quickly, grab" , "E. Mediterranean nation" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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