Crossword Genius

Pour scorn on medicine, old vacuous remedy (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

pillory

'pour scorn on' is the definition.
(both can mean to condemn or criticise)

'medicine old vacuous remedy' is the wordplay.
'medicine' becomes 'pill' (pill is a kind of medicine).
'old' becomes 'o' (common abbreviation eg in OE for Old English).
'vacuous' means to remove the middle letters.
'remedy' with its middle removed is 'ry'.
'pill'+'o'+'ry'='PILLORY'

(Other definitions for pillory that I've seen before include "Expose to public ridicule" , "Expose to public derision" , "Assail; old punishment frame" , "place of punishment" , "Publicly ridicule" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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