Crossword Genius

Hit mate overtaking learner (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

clobber

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

'hit' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'mate overtaking learner' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'learner' could be 'l' (as in a learner driver with L-plates on their car) and 'l' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'cobber' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for clobber that I've seen before include "Hit hard; clothing" , "Tackle" , "bash" , "Clothes - hit" , "Things people wear" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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.