Crossword Genius

Rents going up, it’s not so much weak (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

spiritless

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

'weak' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are adjectives. Perhaps there's a link between them I don't understand?

'rents going up it's not so much' is the wordplay.
'rents' becomes 'rips' ('rip' can be a synonym of 'rent').
'going up' says the letters should be written backwards.
'not so much' becomes 'less' (I've seen this in other clues).
'rips' back-to-front is 'spir'.
'spir'+'it'+'less'='SPIRITLESS'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for spiritless that I've seen is " Lacking ardour".)

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.