Crossword Genius

Longed for time to take up study? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

yearned

'longed for' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'time to take up study' is the wordplay.
'time' becomes 'year' (I've seen this in other clues).
'to take up' says the letters should be written in reverse (I've seen 'taken up' mean this).
'study' becomes 'den' (term for a study or office).
'den' in reverse letter order is 'ned'.
'year'+'ned'='YEARNED'

(Other definitions for yearned that I've seen before include "Did long" , "Felt longing (for something)" , "Pined" , "Desired strongly and persistently" , "Longed (for something)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail and 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.