Crossword Genius

Saves primitives left inside (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

salvages

'saves' is the definition.
('salvage' can be a synonym of 'save')

'primitives left inside' is the wordplay.
'primitives' becomes 'savages' (savage is a kind of primitive).
'left' becomes 'l' (common abbreviation).
'inside' is an insertion indicator.
'savages' going around 'l' is 'SALVAGES'.

(Other definitions for salvages that I've seen before include "Rescues" , "Saves discarded material" , "dry Eliot piece" , "Saves from fire in Las Vegas" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
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.