Crossword Genius

Small bird seen by old man over the hill (4,2)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

past it

'over the hill' is the definition.
(both can mean getting old)

'small bird seen by old man' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'bird' becomes 'tit' (tit is a kind of bird).
'seen by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'old man' becomes 'pa' (both can mean father).
's'+'tit'='stit'
'stit' after 'pa' is 'PAST IT'.

(Other definitions for past it that I've seen before include "No longer competent" , "Far from fresh" , "Too old for anything" , "not helped by age" , "No longer able, too old or decrepit" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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.