Crossword Genius

Half of nine plus ten means nothing! (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

nix

'nothing' is the definition.
(nix can mean nothing)

'half of nine plus ten' is the wordplay.
'half of' indicates taking half.
'plus' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'ten' becomes 'X' (Roman numeral).
'nine' with half the letters taken is 'ni'.
'ni'+'x'='NIX'

'means' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for nix that I've seen before include "Watch out for" , "Nothing (sl.)" , "Cancel" , "0" , "Spiteful water spirit" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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