Crossword Genius

Want to shut up quarry every so often (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

penury

'want' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'shut up quarry every so often' is the wordplay.
'shut up' becomes 'pen' (pen can mean to shut in or enclose).
'every so often' means one should take alternating letters.
The alternate letters of 'quarry' are 'ury'.
'pen'+'ury'='PENURY'

'to' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for penury that I've seen before include "privation" , "Indigence, destitution" , "Extreme poverty or indigence" , "Real poverty" , "State of extreme poverty" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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.