Crossword Genius

Tears into quiet socialists (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

shreds

'tears' is the definition.
(shredding is a kind of tearing)

'quiet socialists' is the wordplay.
'quiet' becomes 'sh' ('sh' is used to tell someone to be quiet).
'socialists' becomes 'reds' (red is a kind of socialist).
'sh'+'reds'='SHREDS'

'into' is the link.

(Other definitions for shreds that I've seen before include "Small pieces as of torn paper" , "Scraps - fragments (of evidence?)" , "Small pieces, maybe of bread" , "Tears into tiny pieces" , "Tears into strips" .)

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