Crossword Genius

That's my lot, eaten by swimmer of evil intent (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

fiendish

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

'swimmer of evil intent' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are adjectives. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'that's my lot eaten' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'that's' could be 'ie' and 'ie' is present in the answer.
'lot' could be 'd' and 'd' is found within the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'by' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for fiendish that I've seen before include "Terrible" , "Finished (anag) - demonic" , "Extremely cruel" , "how diabolically cruel" , "like some Sudokus" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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.