Crossword Genius

Light left on before service (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lantern

'light' is the definition.
(lantern is a kind of light)

'left on before service' is the wordplay.
'left' becomes 'l' (common abbreviation).
'on' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'before' becomes 'ante' (I've seen this before**).
'service' becomes 'rn' (abbreviation for Royal Navy).
'l'+'ante'+'rn'='LANTERN'

(Other definitions for lantern that I've seen before include "outside D [DECORATION]" , "Light in a protective casing" , "Light in a transparent protective case" , "Transparent case for holding a light" , "It illuminates" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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.