Crossword Genius

They study hard, starting second week of this semester (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

swots

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

'they study hard' is the definition.
The definition suggests an adverb but the answer is not.

'starting second week of this semester' is the wordplay.
'starting' says to take the initial letters.
The first letters of 'second week of this semester' is 'SWOTS'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for swots that I've seen is " They study intensively".)

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.