Crossword Genius

Send off -- case of damage and small repair (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

despatch

'send off' is the definition.
('despatch' can be a synonym of 'send off')

'case of damage and small repair' is the wordplay.
'case of' says to hollow out the word (remove centre letters) (outsides of).
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'repair' becomes 'patch' (patching is a kind of repairing**).
'damage' with its middle taken out is 'de'.
'de'+'s'+'patch'='DESPATCH'

(Other definitions for despatch that I've seen before include "expedition" , "Send off, ship" , "Send away" , "Send off, kill" , "Bulletin" .)

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