Crossword Genius

Heard rule had bad conditions (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

rain

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'heard rule had bad conditions' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'heard rule' is the wordplay.
'heard' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'rule' becomes 'reign' (synonyms).
'reign' is a homophone of 'RAIN'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for rain that I've seen before include "Wet weather" , "Fall wetly" , "The right" , "The ---, it ---eth every day (T.Night)" , "Precipitation" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
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