Crossword Genius

Poor country deserted by last fellow (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

indigent

'poor' is the definition.
('indigent' can be similar in meaning to 'poor')

'country deserted by last fellow' is the wordplay.
'country' becomes 'india' (India is an example).
'deserted by last' means to remove the last letter.
'fellow' becomes 'gent' (I've seen this before).
'india' with its last letter taken off is 'indi'.
'indi'+'gent'='INDIGENT'

(Other definitions for indigent that I've seen before include "Poor enough to need help from others" , "Poor and needy" , "Badly off" , "Impoverished -- ending it (anag)" , "Impoverished, destitute" .)

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