Crossword Genius

State colliery must contain answer (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

maine

'state' is the definition.
(US state)

'colliery must contain answer' is the wordplay.
'colliery' becomes 'mine' (a colliery is a coal mine).
'must contain' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'answer' becomes 'a' (abbreviation eg in Q and A).
'mine' enclosing 'a' is 'MAINE'.

(Other definitions for maine that I've seen before include "Part of America" , "New England state" , "state of USA" , "somewhere in America" , "American state, capital Augusta" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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.