Crossword Genius

Malicious trick takes in hospital for now (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

meanwhile

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

'malicious trick takes in hospital' is the wordplay.
'malicious' becomes 'mean'.
'trick' becomes 'wile' (wiles are tricks or deceptions).
'takes in' indicates putting letters inside.
'hospital' becomes 'h' (abbreviation for hospital on maps).
'wile' going around 'h' is 'while'.
'mean'+'while'='MEANWHILE'

(Other definitions for meanwhile that I've seen before include "in intervening period" , "In the interim" , "On the other hand" , "For the moment" , "simultaneously" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.