Crossword Genius

Heavy-handedly control work on newspapers (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

oppress

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'heavy-handedly control' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'work on newspapers' is the wordplay.
'work' becomes 'op' (short for opus).
'on' says to put letters next to each other (in a down clue, letters appear on others).
'newspapers' becomes 'press' (the press is the newspaper industry).
'op'+'press'='OPPRESS'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for oppress that I've seen before include "Treat harshly" , "Treat tyrannically" , "Govern cruelly" , "Crush, subjugate" , "'Persecute, come down heavy on (7)'" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.