Crossword Genius

Toy goblin: beastly, empty junk (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hobbyhorse

'toy' is the definition.
(hobbyhorse is a kind of toy)

'goblin beastly empty junk' is the wordplay.
'goblin' becomes 'hob' ('hob' can be a synonym of 'goblin').
'empty' suggests removing the centre.
'junk' becomes 'horse' ('horse' can be a synonym of 'junk'**).
'beastly' with its middle removed is 'by'.
'hob'+'by'+'horse'='HOBBYHORSE'

(Other definitions for hobbyhorse that I've seen before include "Toy" , "plaything" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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