Crossword Genius

Pass with bad grade before failure (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

elapse

'pass' is the definition.
(I know that pass can be written as elapse)

'bad grade before failure' is the wordplay.
'bad grade' becomes 'e' (bad academic grade).
'before' says to put letters next to each other.
'failure' becomes 'lapse' (lapse is a kind of failure).
'e'+'lapse'='ELAPSE'

'with' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for elapse that I've seen before include "Glide by" , "(Of time) go by" , "Please (anag) -- pass away" , "Slip away" , "Go past" .)

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.