Crossword Genius

Painstaking, albeit lacking in refinement (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

thorough

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

'albeit lacking in refinement' is the wordplay.
'albeit' becomes 'tho''.
'lacking in refinement' becomes 'rough'.
'tho'+'rough'='THOROUGH'

(Other definitions for thorough that I've seen before include "Passage" , "Out-and-out, utter" , "Complete - painstaking - unqualified" , "Miticulous or exhaustive" , "Total - painstaking - in-depth" .)

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