Support graduate with brilliance at Harvard, say (8)
I believe the answer is:
baluster
'support' is the definition.
(I know that baluster is a type of support)
'graduate with brilliance at harvard say' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'graduate' could be 'ba' (someone with a Bachelor of Arts degree) and 'ba' is present in the answer.
'brilliance' could be 'luster' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'luster' is found within the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for baluster that I've seen before include "Rail hold-up" , "Pillar supporting a rail, may be rustable" , "Set of posts supporting a rail" , "One of a number of closely spaced supports for a railing" , "Type of decorative support for a rail" .)