Crossword Genius

Tough, stretch across to grab the man (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

spartan

'tough' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'stretch across to grab the man' is the wordplay.
'stretch across' becomes 'span' (I've seen this in another clue).
'to grab' indicates putting letters inside.
'the man' becomes 'art' ().
'span' going around 'art' is 'SPARTAN'.

(Other definitions for spartan that I've seen before include "Austere - disciplined" , "Austere - like Lysander?" , "Austere, lacking comfort" , "Frugal" , "Not comfortable" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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.