Crossword Genius

Hole in a tree, right up high (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

aperture

'hole' is the definition.
(aperture is a kind of hole)

'a tree right up high' is the wordplay.
'right' becomes 'r' (common abbreviation).
'high' indicates anagramming the letters (can mean drunk or on drugs and hence disordered).
'tree'+'r'+'up'='treerup'
'treerup' is an anagram of 'perture'.
'a'+'perture'='APERTURE'

'in' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for aperture that I've seen before include "Opening (for a photographer?)" , "Opening, gap" , "Opening, to let light enter a camera perhaps" , "Device controlling amount of light admitted" , "Opening through which light enters a camera" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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