Crossword Genius

Uncovered coot record given variable study of eggs (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

oology

'study of eggs' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'uncovered coot record given variable' is the wordplay.
'uncovered' means to look at the middle letters.
'record' becomes 'log' (logging is a kind of recording).
'given' says to put letters next to each other.
'variable' becomes 'y' (algebra).
The middle of 'coot' is 'oo'.
'oo'+'log'+'y'='OOLOGY'

(Another definition for oology that I've seen is " The study of birds' eggs".)

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.