Crossword Genius

Protest by student is hard to crush (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

demolish

'to crush' is the definition.
(demolishing is a kind of crushing)

'protest by student is hard' is the wordplay.
'protest' becomes 'demo' (demonstration).
'by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'student' becomes 'l' (as in L-plates for learner drivers).
'hard' becomes 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications).
'demo'+'l'+'is'+'h'='DEMOLISH'

(Other definitions for demolish that I've seen before include "Knock down, say a building" , "Knock or tear down" , "Eat up" , "Pull or tear down" , "Break down" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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