Crossword Genius

Through time, hard to stop gaunt monster (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

leviathan

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'monster' is the definition.
(I know that leviathan is a type of monster)

'through time hard to stop gaunt' is the wordplay.
'through' becomes 'via' (via means going through).
'time hard' becomes 'th' (this could be a standard abbreviation of which I'm unaware).
'to stop' indicates putting letters inside (stopping can mean blocking a gap).
'gaunt' becomes 'lean' (similar in meaning).
'via'+'th'='viath'
'viath' inserted into 'lean' is 'LEVIATHAN'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for leviathan that I've seen before include "Monstrous beast" , "Huge (sea) monster" , "Autocratic monarch" , "Gigantic" , "An evil hat turns to anything of great size" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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