To search France is hard (4)

I believe the answer is:

fish

'to search' is the definition.
(fishing is a kind of searching)

'france is hard' is the wordplay.
'france' becomes 'f'.
'hard' becomes 'h'.
'f'+'is'+'h'='FISH'

(Other definitions for fish that I've seen before include "Angle, troll" , "Weatherman" , "Burbot or turbot, for example" , "Aquatic creature; rail-joining plate" , "Cod, dab, eel and ray" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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.