Crossword Genius

One’s in the soup, hiding having punched crook (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

crouton

'one's in the soup' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'hiding having punched crook' is the wordplay.
'hiding' becomes 'rout' (I've seen this in other clues).
'having punched' is an insertion indicator (some letters punch a hole in others).
'crook' becomes 'con'.
'rout' inserted within 'con' is 'CROUTON'.

(Other definitions for crouton that I've seen before include "Fried garnish for soup" , "Small piece of toasted bread in soup or salad" , "Small cube of toasted bread" , "Bit of toast in soup" , "One might be in the soup" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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