Crossword Genius

Nothing held one back in this state (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

idaho

'in this state' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'nothing held one back' is the wordplay.
'nothing' becomes 'o' (looks like zero - 0).
'held' becomes 'had' ('have' can be a synonym of 'hold').
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
'back' says the letters should be written backwards.
'o'+'had'+'i'='ohadi'
'ohadi' written backwards gives 'IDAHO'.

(Other definitions for idaho that I've seen before include "part of US near Washington" , "US location" , "North-western state of America" , "Pertaining to the Bard" , "US state, capital Boise" .)

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.