Crossword Genius

In academies, say, education's attempted (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

essayed

'attempted' is the definition.
('essay' can be a synonym of 'attempt')

'in academies say education's' is the wordplay.
'in' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'ESSAYED' can be found hidden inside 'academies say educations'.

(Other definitions for essayed that I've seen before include "tested" , "Had a go" , "Attempted, strove" , "Tried (E, not A)" , "Made formal attempt" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.