Crossword Genius

Smooth piece in gritty construction (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sandcastle

'gritty construction' is the definition.
(castle made of sand or grit)

'smooth piece' is the wordplay.
'smooth' becomes 'sand' (sanding is a kind of smoothing).
'piece' becomes 'castle' (castle is a kind of chess piece).
'sand'+'castle'='SANDCASTLE'

'in' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for sandcastle that I've seen before include "Fortress constructed on the beach" , "one that goes with the flow?" , "Model on a beach" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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