Crossword Genius

Observance that's hackneyed? Not at first (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

rite

'observance' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'hackneyed? not at first' is the wordplay.
'hackneyed?' becomes 'trite' ('trite' can be a synonym of 'hackneyed').
'not at first' means to remove the first letter.
'trite' with its first letter taken off is 'RITE'.

'that's' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for rite that I've seen before include "Religious ritual" , "(Words for) ceremony" , "Established religious ceremony" , "Customary observance" , "something like mass" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.