Crossword Genius

Those people taking fifth grade subject (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

theme

'subject' is the definition.
(theme can mean a topic or subject)

'those people taking fifth grade' is the wordplay.
'those people' becomes 'them' ('they' refers to a group of people).
'taking' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'fifth grade' becomes 'E' (5th letter of 'grade').
'them'+'e'='THEME'

(Other definitions for theme that I've seen before include "Main idea or topic" , "Thread, melody" , "Unifying motif" , "(Writer's) topic" , "Motif that's repeated" .)

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.