Crossword Genius

Team with hard edge played and succeeded (4,3,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

made the grade

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'succeeded' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't judge whether it can be defined by this definition.

'team with hard edge played' is the wordplay.
'with' says to put letters next to each other.
'played' is an anagram indicator (letters playing around).
'team'+'hard'+'edge'='teamhardedge'
'teamhardedge' with letters rearranged gives 'MADE THE GRADE'.

'and' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for made the grade that I've seen is " Reached a desired standard".)

I've seen this clue in The Everyman puzzle in The Observer.
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.