Crossword Genius

Guard ate up remainder (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

defend

'guard' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'ate up remainder' is the wordplay.
'ate' becomes 'fed' ('feed' can be a synonym of 'eat').
'up' is a reversal indicator (in down clue: letters go upwards).
'remainder' becomes 'end' ('end' can be a synonym of 'remainder').
'fed' in reverse letter order is 'def'.
'def'+'end'='DEFEND'

(Other definitions for defend that I've seen before include "Block, as in cricket" , "Champion" , "Protect against challenge or attack" , "Protect, fight back" , "Safeguard" .)

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