Crossword Genius

One male graduate with weapon shows lack of equilibrium (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

imbalance

'lack of equilibrium' is the definition.
(equilibrium can mean balance)

'one male graduate with weapon' is the wordplay.
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
'male' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'graduate' becomes 'BA' (someone with a Bachelor of Arts degree).
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'weapon' becomes 'lance' (lance is a kind of weapon).
'i'+'m'+'ba'+'lance'='IMBALANCE'

'shows' is the link.

(Other definitions for imbalance that I've seen before include "Disparity" , "sign of unevenness?" , "Lopsidedness" , "disproportion" , "Unequal division" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app