Crossword Genius

State without change, silver, say, and gold (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

plateau

'state without change' is the definition.
(state of constancy or resolution)

'silver say and gold' is the wordplay.
'silver say' becomes 'plate' (silvering is a kind of plating).
'and' says to put letters next to each other.
'gold' becomes 'au' (Au is the chemical symbol for gold).
'plate'+'au'='PLATEAU'

(Other definitions for plateau that I've seen before include "Levelling off" , "Area of livel high ground" , "High tableland" , "High level land area" , "Elevated flat land" .)

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