Crossword Genius

Pine away - time to be useless (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

inept

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

'pine away time' is the wordplay.
'away' is an anagram indicator (letters move away from their original places).
'time' becomes 't' (abbreviation).
'pine' is an anagram of 'inep'.
'inep'+'t'='INEPT'

'to' is the link.

(Other definitions for inept that I've seen before include "lacks skill" , "Lacking skill" , "Unsuitable, clumsy" , "Clumsy - silly" , "Clumsy, bumbling" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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.