Crossword Genius

When a chap has a bad score, it can weigh heavily (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

load

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'weigh heavily' is the definition.
'load' can be an answer for 'weigh' (thesaurus). I am unsure of the 'heavily' bit.

'when a chap has a bad score it' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'lod' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'can' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for load that I've seen before include "Goods carried by a large vehicle" , "Amount" , "Charge a gun" , "Weight, source of pressure" , "Weight to be transported" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app