Crossword Genius

Keep at it, being more than strict (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

persevere

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

'keep at it' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'more than strict' is the wordplay.
'more than' becomes 'per' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'strict' becomes 'severe' (I've seen this in another clue).
'per'+'severe'='PERSEVERE'

'being' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for persevere that I've seen before include "Go on in spite of setbacks" , "Continue despite difficulties" , "Battle on" , "Be unwilling to stop" , "Serve peer (anag.)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish News.
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.