Crossword Genius

Leave it out -- supporting a student's ease? (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

alleviate

'ease?' is the definition.
(easing is a kind of alleviating)

'leave it out supporting a student's' is the wordplay.
'out' indicates an anagram (out can mean wrong or inaccurate).
'supporting' means one lot of letters go next to another (in a down clue, some letters go below others).
'student' becomes 'l' (as in L-plates for learner drivers**).
'leave'+'it'='leaveit'
'leaveit' anagrammed gives 'leviate'.
'a'+'l'='al'
'leviate' put after 'al' is 'ALLEVIATE'.

(Other definitions for alleviate that I've seen before include "bring relief" , "Make less severe as with pain" , "To mollify" , "Make better" , "dull" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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