Crossword Genius

Piece of wood left at the hotel (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lath

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'piece of wood' is the definition.
'lath' can be an answer for 'wood' (thesaurus). I'm not sure about the 'piece of' bit.

'left at the hotel' is the wordplay.
'left' becomes 'L' (common abbreviation).
'the hotel' becomes 'h' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'l'+'at'+'h'='LATH'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lath that I've seen before include "Halt bearing strip of wood" , "Thin strip of wood used in plastering" , "Wooden strip for plaster" , "Narrow strip of wood used as backing for plasterwork" , "Strip of wood, backing for plaster say" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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