Crossword Genius

Hit big tree (3,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

box elder

'tree' is the definition.
(box elder is a kind of tree)

'hit big' is the wordplay.
'hit' becomes 'box' (boxing is a kind of hitting).
'big' becomes 'elder' ('elder' can be a synonym of 'big'**).
'box'+'elder'='BOX ELDER'

(Other definitions for box elder that I've seen before include "tree" , "Maple" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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