Crossword Genius

Insufficient time to finish examination (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

scant

'insufficient' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

'time to finish examination' is the wordplay.
'time' becomes 't' (abbreviation).
'to finish' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other) (some letters go after or 'finish' others).
'examination' becomes 'scan' (scan is a kind of examination).
't' put after 'scan' is 'SCANT'.

(Other definitions for scant that I've seen before include "Hardly any" , "Meagre" , "Scarcely sufficient" , "Little" , "Barely adequate" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sun.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app