Crossword Genius

Pelt sailors with firm condiment (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

peppercorn

'condiment' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'pelt sailors with firm' is the wordplay.
'pelt' becomes 'pepper' ('pepper' can be a synonym of 'pelt'**).
'sailors' becomes 'rn' (abbreviation for Royal Navy).
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'firm' becomes 'co' (a firm is a company).
'rn' after 'co' is 'corn'.
'pepper'+'corn'='PEPPERCORN'

(Other definitions for peppercorn that I've seen before include "providing little income for landlord" , "Nominal" , "See this ground by mill" , "(Of rent) notional" , "hot" .)

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.