Crossword Genius

Stupid lad! Ike to love range in optical toy (12)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

kaleidoscope

'optical toy' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'stupid lad ike to love range' is the wordplay.
'stupid' is an anagram indicator (in a stupid order).
'to love' becomes 'o' (love means zero in tennis).
'range' becomes 'scope' (synonyms).
'lad'+'ike'='ladike'
'ladike' with letters rearranged gives 'kaleid'.
'kaleid'+'o'+'scope'='KALEIDOSCOPE'

'in' is the link.

(Other definitions for kaleidoscope that I've seen before include "poodle is plastered with cake" , "Viewer offering reflections" , "Toy making coloured patterns" , "Device showing coloured patterns" , "ever-changing patterns" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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.